Isle of Wight: Red Jet 4 heading to South Korea after sale

Red Jet 4 entered service on the Southampton-Cowes route in June 2003

Red Funnel has sold its high-speed passenger ferry Red Jet 4.

The catamaran, which started carrying passengers on the Southampton-West Cowes route nearly 21 years ago, was taken out of service in March.

It leaves the operator with two high-speed ferries, Red Jet 6 and 7, running the route.

Red Jet 4, which can carry 271 passengers, is expected to be lifted out of the water in Southampton in late May and transported to South Korea.

It has been bought by the Namhae Express Co to add to its fleet of six high-speed catamarans which run between tourist destinations including Mokpo and Jeju Island.

Red Funnel operates the high-speed Red Jet service as well as car ferries between Southampton and the Isle of Wight

Red Funnel CEO Fran Collins said: "We are very proud of Red Jet 4's two decades of service across the Solent. She's been a much-loved member of our fleet."

The firm said it would "focus on the upkeep and reliability of Red Jets 6 and 7 and ensure we deliver the best possible service to our customers".

The 21-year-old vessel has been used intermittently as a spare ferry in recent years, only in service when newer ships experienced technical problems or underwent maintenance. The sale leaves Red Funnel without a spare ship.

The Red Jet catamarans take about 28 minutes to cross the Solent, with the vehicle ferries taking about one hour.

Red Jet 7 has been in operation since 2018, and Red Jet 6 entered service in July 2016 when Red Jet 5 was sold to an Italian shipping company.

Both the high-speed and car ferry services have suffered cancellations and delays in recent months after issues with the vessels and staff shortages.

In March, eight of the ferry firm's directors resigned over plans to change its fleet.

Follow BBC South on Facebook, X, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail] or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2240.