Cowes Floating Bridge: Council reaches settlement over ferry

The £3.2m Floating Bridge Number 6 runs between Cowes and East Cowes

A council says it has reached a settlement over the costs it incurred for a chain ferry that has been beset with technical problems.

The Isle of Wight Floating Bridge has been plagued with breakdowns and other issues since launching in 2017.

The island's council said a "full and final settlement" had been reached with Burness Corlett Three Quays Southampton and Mainstay Marine Solutions.

It said the terms of the agreement would remain confidential.

The £3.2m vessel, which runs between Cowes and East Cowes, has had numerous problems including breakdowns, broken chains, excessive noise and cars scraping their bumpers.

Legal mediation

A launch for foot passengers and cyclists runs whenever the ferry is out of action but vehicles face a 12-mile detour via Newport.

The Isle of Wight Council began legal mediation in February, aiming to get back some of the money lost through repairs, fees and added costs, including a replacement launch.

In a statement, the authority said: "The Isle of Wight Council, Burness Corlett Three Quays (Southampton) Limited and Mainstay Marine Solutions Limited can confirm that a full and final settlement has been reached at mediation to end the legal dispute between the parties relating to Floating Bridge 6.

"It has been agreed that the terms of the settlement should remain confidential, and no party will make any further statement relating to the terms of the settlement agreement."

East Cowes councillor Karl Love criticised the "gagging order" preventing publication of the sum received by the council.

"The public has the right to know, in my opinion, after all of the years of catastrophic mismanagement of the building and the floating bridge operational failures.

"You can't build a new bridge if you don't know how much money one has received to replace it?

"It's not acceptable in this day and age to have such agreements which are detrimental to the best public interest," he said.

A previous government report said the vessel was "potentially poorly designed" with "several apparent design" issues.

A Cabinet Office report, published in January, found a working service was "feasible" but said the chain ferry had "significant issues".