MV Victoria of Wight

MV Victoria of Wight is a ship sailing on the Portsmouth to Fishbourne route operated by Wightlink. She entered service on 26 August 2018.[4] Built by the Cemre Shipyard in Yalova for £30 million,[5] she is the newest ship in the fleet and completed Wightlink's £45 million investment in the Portsmouth to Fishbourne route.[4] In addition, upon introduction into service Victoria of Wight became the largest ship in the fleet and the new flagship.[6]

MV Victoria of Wight leaving Portsmouth, 31 Aug 2018.
History
United Kingdom
Name: MV Victoria of Wight
Operator: Wightlink
Port of registry: Portsmouth
Route: Portsmouth to Fishbourne
Builder: Cemre Shipyard, Yalova
Cost: £30 million
Launched: 7 February 2018
In service: 26 August 2018
Identification:
Status: In service
General characteristics
Class and type: Car Passenger Ferry (Victoria of Wight G Class)
Tonnage: 8,041 GT
Length: 89.7 m (294.3 ft)
Beam: 19.4 m (63.6 ft)
Draught: 2.6 m (8.5 ft)
Propulsion: Diesel-electric/ battery hybrid system. 4x 1,475bhp 6-cyl Wärtsilä L20/28 diesel engines driving generators, 4 Voith Schneider 5-bladed cycloidal propellers driven by electric motors.
Speed: 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph)
Capacity: 1208 passengers, 178 cars
Crew: 11
Notes: [1][2][3]

While she is the broadest vessel to make regular crossings to the Isle of Wight, she is not the longest passenger ship, with Red Funnel's Raptor class ferries exceeding Victoria of Wight in length[7]. The Victoria of Wight is notable for its use of a hybrid technology, combining battery power and conventional engines. This results in the ship being both quieter and releasing fewer emissions than the rest of Wightlink's fleet.[4]

History

The Victoria of Wight originated as part of Wightlink's £45 million investment, which aimed to improve facilities at Portsmouth terminal with a new building, and to introduce new double tier boarding ramps at Fishbourne and Portsmouth for quicker boarding of the St Clare and the new ferry. 22 tenders were received to construct the ship with Cemre Shipyard in Yalova eventually chosen for its cost effectiveness and ability to construct the ship within two years.

In October 2016, the steel cutting ceremony of the new ship marked the beginning of its construction.[8]

Later the new ferry was renamed the Victoria of Wight in a staff competition held by Wightlink. The name is in recognition of Queen Victoria's history on the Isle of Wight, who would retreat to Osborne House during the summer.[9]

After being launched in February 2018, she was fitted out, carrying out sea trials in the Sea of Marmara.[10] On 16 July 2018, Victoria of Wight departed the Cemre shipyard to finally be transported to the Solent for crew training and introduction into service. Being towed by Amber II, a specialist tug, the journey took 25 days to complete.[5]

On 26 August 2018, the Victoria of Wight began its maiden voyage on the 10:30 service from Portsmouth to Fishbourne, entering regular service. During the autumn, it was taken out of service during the weekdays to allow for more crew to be trained to operate it.[4]

On 1 November 2019, during an early morning crossing from Fishbourne, the Victoria of Wight's propulsion system suffered a fault. She arrived in Portsmouth under reduced power accompanied by a tug, leading to the cancellation of further crossings that day.[11]

Technical

The hybrid elements of the ship's powertrain are powered by a pair of 408 kWh batteries by Corvus Energy.[12] The Orca Energy batteries provide support to four 1,475bhp 6 cylinder Wärtsilä diesel generators in operation and work as harbour generators in harbour mode. The batteries are charged from diesel generators.[13]

References
  1. "Wightlink's new flagship Victoria of Wight is launched".
  2. "Victoria of Wight Hybrid Ferry Newbuild - Houlder Ltd".
  3. "Victoria of Wight - Wightlink".
  4. "Wightlink's new Victoria of Wight ferry takes first customers to Fishbourne". Isle of Wight County Press. 26 August 2018. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
  5. "She's coming home — Victoria of Wight sets off for the Solent". www.iwcp.co.uk. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  6. "Victoria of Wight: Wightlink's new flagship heading to the Solent". www.houlderltd.com. Retrieved 2018-07-19.
  7. https://www.redfunnel.co.uk/en/isle-of-wight-ferry/fleet-information/vehicle-ferries/mv-red-falcon/
  8. "Steel cutting begins on Wightlink's new ferry". www.wightlink.co.uk. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  9. "Wightlink's new flagship Victoria of Wight is launched". www.wightlink.co.uk. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  10. "New Isle of Wight ferry Victoria of Wight impresses during sea trials". www.iwcp.co.uk. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  11. "Portsmouth-Fishbourne hybrid ferry breaks down in Solent". BBC News. 1 November 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  12. "CORVUS BATTERIES FOR WIGHTLINK FERRY". The Motor Ship. 26 September 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  13. Moore, Rebecca (5 October 2018). "Victoria of Wight: the benefits of battery propulsion". Passenger Ship Technology. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
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