Red Funnel-Red Jet6 update.

Red Jet -6Red FunnelRed Jet 6, Red Funnel’s largest ever Hi-Speed passenger ferry is currently under construction at East Cowes. This £6m state of the art vessel is being built by Shemara Refit LLP for delivery to Red Funnel in June 2016. Following this the vessel will be named in Cowes on 4 July 2016 and will enter service later that month.
Red Jet 6 will be Red Funnel’s largest and most innovative high-speed vessel yet, offering ground breaking levels of passenger comfort, reliability and safety. She will also be the greenest ship in Red Funnel’s fleet with a host of design features to reduce running costs and protect the environment in line with the company’s ISO 1400:1 accreditation.
The aluminium hull will be similar in design to Red Jet 4’s but to improve efficiency Red Jet 6 will be slightly longer at 41.12m. The passenger accommodation will be insulated from the hulls to reduce vibration and cabin noise. Like her sisters, Red Jet 6 will use waterjets rather than propellers to aid manoeuvrability and provide impressive stopping power whilst keeping wash to an absolute minimum.
In a break with tradition, Red Jet 6 will be fitted with four main engines rather than two. Each MTU 2000 series diesel will power a separate MJP 500 waterjet unit. This configuration will help reduce running costs, provide high levels of in-service reliability and ensure emissions comply with IMO Tier II regulations.
Other technical innovations to help reduce running costs include the use of vinyl instead of paint for the superstructure to reduce weight and the application of the latest Teflon hull coatings to minimise drag through the water.
Red Jet 6 has capacity for 275 passengers who will experience a quiet, spacious and well-lit cabin fitted with leather seats and a sophisticated air-handling system designed to dry, cool or warm the air automatically. A new high bandwidth ship-to-shore Wi-Fi system has been specified which will be free for customers and the latest travel information system will be installed to show connecting services for buses, coaches, trains and flights in real-time.
Key facts:
• Order placed: May 2015 – the first order of its type for a UK yard in 15 years
• Length: 41.12m
• Service speed: 38 knots @ 85% maximum continuous rating
• Propulsion: 4 MTU Main engines driving 4 MJP water jets via 4 ZF gearboxes
• Passengers: 275 seated + 4 wheelchairs
• Wi-Fi, USB charging points, air conditioning, dehumidification, LED lighting, leather seats
Progress update:
• Hull frames, transom and BHDs from the transom to the bow are in position on the hull jig with gussets and tripping brackets – 99% complete
• Hull’s from the transom to the bow – 99% complete, excluding hatches
• Double bottom/superstructure bottom extruded planks are being welded together – 88% complete.
• Hull plating – 100% complete
• Hull welding – 75% complete
• Superstructure fabrication – 24% complete
• Superstructure welding – 14% complete
• Modelling of the engine rooms, tank rooms, jet rooms and air in/out trunking is progressing. Machinery arrangement and propulsion engineering work will commence mid-January 2016
• All the Lloyds and MCA inspections are underway and going positively

Kevin George, Red Funnel’s CEO commented “It is extremely gratifying to see that the build is both on schedule and on budget and the quality of work, particularly the welding is amongst the best we’ve seen from anywhere in the world. This demonstrates the type of specialist shipbuilding skills which are available on the Isle of Wight and underlines why we chose Shemara Refit LLP to build Red Jet 6.”