Wightlink, with its predecessors, has been operating ferry services for over 160 years! 

From as early as 1796, ferries have been operating across the Solent, linking the Isle of Wight to the mainland. In the early nineteenth century, the poor road systems encouraged people to travel by sea between Lymington, a beautiful port in the New Forest area, and Portsmouth. Originally, steam ferries operated a circular route around Lymington, Yarmouth, Cowes, Ryde and Portsmouth, the rail companies themselves became involved in the operation of the ferries, with individual routes appearing between Lymington and Yarmouth and Portsmouth and Ryde.

Ownership of the ferries eventually passed from the British Railways Board to Sealink UK Limited. In 1984, when Sealink UK Limited was de-nationalised, the operating name became Sealink British Ferries and was subsequently bought by the Bermudan based ‘Sea Containers Limited’. In 1990 Stena Line bought Sealink British Ferries, but the Isle of Wight Ferries remained with Sea Containers, who then renamed the company ‘Wightlink’. 

In June 1995 the company was the subject of a management buy-in and became a private company until 2005, when it was acquired by the Macquarie European Infrastructure Fund.  The company has progressed from its early pioneering days of steam travel to operate a modern fleet of eight car and passenger ferries between Lymington & Yarmouth and Portsmouth & Fishbourne (historically, the youngest of the routes) and four high-speed FastCat catamarans, between Portsmouth Harbour and Ryde Pier.

Now, Wightlink carries over 5 ½ million passengers, over 1.2 million cars and almost 200,000  coaches and freight vehicles annually on its three routes to the Island. With twelve ships in the fleet and a revenue of some £51 million per annum, it is a large and important business.