Wightlink marks the first anniversary of Victoria of Wight’s homecoming

It’s exactly a year since Wightlink’s £30million flagship Victoria of Wight arrived at her home port of Portsmouth after a voyage of more than 3,000 miles from the Cemre shipyard in Yalova, Turkey.

Captain Tom Vincent was at the helm for the final part of the journey from the St Helen’s anchorage off the north-east of the Isle of Wight. The oceangoing tug Amber II had towed her through the Mediterranean and was joined by two harbour tugs to secure her alongside Wightlink’s moorings in Portsmouth Harbour.

He remembers: “The weather was awful on Friday 10 August 2018 with torrential rain and strong winds as we entered the harbour. All the crew were relieved that everything went smoothly and our new hybrid energy flagship was safely home at last.”

Victoria of Wight entered service at the end of August 2018. Powered by hybrid energy, from a combination of batteries and conventional engines, she can carry up to 178 cars and more than 1,000 passengers on every crossing.

Wightlink selected Cemre to build its new flagship following a competitive tendering process based on quality, delivery time and price. Although there was interest from many shipbuilders around the world, no UK yards submitted a tender which complied with Wightlink’s requirements.

Wightlink Chief Executive Keith Greenfield says: “Twelve months on, Victoria of Wight is now a valuable addition to our fleet and sails around the clock between Portsmouth and Fishbourne.

Everyone who crosses the Solent on her is impressed by her comfortable and panoramic lounges, spacious outside decks and impressive green credentials.”

For more information, contact Karen Woods on 07775 694266 or [email protected].