What this means for you
About the UK Emissions Trading Scheme
Frequently asked questions

Emissions Trading Scheme

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Emissions Trading Scheme

New Government ETS Levy

The ETS Levy will apply to all public bookings made from 6 May for travel taken after 1 July.

A small environmental levy will apply to vehicle ferry bookings on our Portsmouth – Fishbourne route for travel taken after 1 July 2026.

This is a direct result of the UK government introducing a new emissions charge for certain large domestic ferries. Read on below to find out what this means for your booking and why it’s being added.

What this means for you

If you make a booking to travel in a vehicle on our Portsmouth – Fishbourne route after 1 July 2026, you’ll be charged an additional cost for each leg of your booking.

This ETS levy applies for travel both to and from the Isle of Wight and will be clearly labelled in the checkout.

If you have a Multilink Vehicle Pass and make a booking for travel after 1 July, you will also need to pay the charge.

ETS Levy charges

🛵 £1.25 per leg
Motorcycles and scooters
🚗 £1.50 per leg
Cars under five metres in length
🚛 £1.75 per leg
Vehicles that are five metres or more in length, including freight, coaches, motorhomes and horse boxes

No plans for a fuel surcharge

We understand that the cost of living remains a concern. While fuel costs continue to rise, we’d like to reassure you that we have no plans to introduce a fuel surcharge at this time.

About the UK Emissions Trading Scheme

The UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) is a Government initiative designed to reduce carbon emissions. It works by placing a cost on the emissions produced by organisations, encouraging them to operate more efficiently and invest in lower-carbon solutions.

From July 2026, the scheme will be extended to include larger domestic maritime vessels, including some ferries operating on UK routes.

Ferries on our Portsmouth – Fishbourne route fall within the scope of the scheme, so we have to pay for the emissions they produce.

Wightlink’s hybrid ferry Victoria of Wight sailing in calm waters near the Fishbourne shoreline under a clear blue sky.

Why we don't think the ETS levy is fair

We support the efforts to reduce emissions, but we do not agree with the decision to apply this levy to Isle of Wight ferry services.

The Island relies entirely on ferry travel for everyday connections, from commuting and healthcare to tourism and trade.

Other island communities, including those in Scotland, have been granted exemptions from the same charge. The Isle of Wight has not.

There are also practical limitations to reducing emissions further at this stage, including a lack of additional grid capacity to support cleaner vessel technology.

View from the rear deck of a Wightlink ferry showing the wake trailing across the Solent, with the coastline visible in the distance.

What we've done so far

We’ve taken an active role in challenging how this policy applies to Isle of Wight ferry services.

We argued strongly for an exemption for the Solent’s lifeline services, with formal letters to Ministers, discussions with local MPs and the Isle of Wight Chamber and raising the practical challenges directly with Government departments.

It is clear that ferry operators cannot meaningfully reduce emissions further until additional grid capacity is made available at both Portsmouth and Fishbourne.