Isle of Wight electric ferry praised as 'real step change'
It comes after criticism from the prime minister, as well as Conservative MP for Isle of Wight East Joe Robertson.Robertson said passengers had faced "excessive ferry prices and bad services," while Keir Starmer said services for islanders had "simply not been good enough."Red Funnel had previously apologised for "any inconvenience", and said it had "faced some challenges" and not met its punctuality targets.Artemis Technologies, run by former Olympian Perry, are the company behind developing the new ferry.
The electric crafts use hydrofoils - underwater wings that lift the vessel's hull out of the water as it moves, which the company claimed reduces drag and increases speed. "It's halfway between a plane and a boat," said Perry. "You get to a certain speed and it takes off and flies above the waves," he said. "It's going to be a real step change."
Ms Collins said the new addition to the fleet was taken to help the company meet its decarbonisation targets and provide a faster service. "As an industry we need to decarbonise, and decarbonisation is something we can't do on our own... we have to do it in partnership," she added.
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