Wightlink has launched Wight Sun, the third new car ferry for its route from Lymington to Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight in a ceremony held at the Kraljevica shipyard in Croatia on Saturday 28th June.  The new ship, which is due to enter service early in 2009, joined its sister ships Wight Light and Wight Sky in Croatian waters.

In common with the earlier two ceremonies, a local schoolgirl, Stefani Nadoh, launched the new ship, watched by Andrew Willson, Wightlink’s Chief Executive, Colin Stanton, Wightlink’s full time Project Manager at the shipyard and Vince Lovell, Project Supervisor.  A visiting team from Wightlink – including Lymington-Yarmouth staff - were on hand to see Wight Sun make its smooth journey into the water. They were also able to board and inspect Wight Light, the first ship to be launched.

The launch of Wight Sun coincided with the publication of an independent report into the environmental impact of the replacement fleet for the Lymington-Yarmouth route.  The report, by the Marine Environmental agency ABP Mer supported Wightlink’s original assessment and concluded that the new ships would have no greater adverse environmental impact than the existing fleet.

Andrew Willson said: “We are delighted that all three Wight-Class vessels have now been safely launched and were especially pleased to be able to see the final touches now being made to Wight Light’s interior, ready for her journey back to the UK.  The publication of the environmental report, confirming our own risk assessments about the impact of the new vessels, comes at an excellent time, paving the way for the arrival of the first two ships later on this year.”   

Wight Light and Wight Sky are now expected to enter service later in 2008 and will be sailed back to the UK by Wightlink crews in the coming weeks – with stops at Palermo, Gibraltar and Vigo en route.  Once they arrive in the UK, the ships will undergo further trials and crew operational training on the Solent.  Harbour authorities at Lymington and Yarmouth will monitor their performance before procedures are finalised and a final date can be set for their entry into service in the autumn. 

The new Wight Class fleet, commissioned to take over from the existing C-Class ships and able to carry 15 extra cars, forms part of the £57 million investment, announced recently by the ferry operator.  This will involve significant upgrades to all three Wightlink routes to the Isle of Wight.  New catamarans for the

Portsmouth-Ryde passenger route are currently being built in the Philippines and will be introduced in summer 2009, while extensive changes are planned for the Portsmouth-Fishbourne car ferry service.

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

Each ship will have four main engines – Volvo D16MHs (6 cylinder, 552 kW)

Propulsion for each ship will be provided by 2 x Voith Schneider 21 R5/135 propeller units

Interior design is by LAP Architects of Billericay, Essex

During their expected lives, each ferry will undertake more than 200,000 trips and will cover more than 750,000 nautical miles

For more information, please contact:

Kerry Jackson

Marketing Manager, Isle of Wight Ferries

Tel: 023 9285 5427

kerryjackson@wightlink.co.uk

Christine Ball

CBPR

Tel: 01798 874177

cball@cballpr.co.uk