Passengers slate Wightlink 'joke' service as third fire halts ferry
ANGRY passengers have hit out at Wightlink, branding its cross-Solent service “a joke” after an engine fire broke out on one of its ferries for the third time in 16 months.
All crossings between Lymington and Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight were cancelled for two-and-a-half days, and wind restrictions put paid to a reduced one-boat service days later, after the blaze broke out on board Wight Sky as it returned to Lymington last Friday morning.
As reported in the A&T, the same ferry had previously suffered engine fires while in service during this year’s August bank holiday weekend and in September last year. Although no passengers were hurt in any of the incidents, the first one resulted in an engineer suffering severe burns.
Wightlink’s chief executive, Keith Greenfield, has vowed to ensure the engine issues on the Lymington-Yarmouth fleet of three ferries are resolved. However, many people have taken to social media to vent their frustrations at the ongoing problems they have experienced with the service.
Last Friday’s Wight Sky fire took place on the 6.25am Yarmouth-Lymington crossing, and involved a new Volvo Penta engine which had been installed by the manufacturer’s agent at the ship’s 2018 autumn refit. It had only been operational for 390 hours when it failed.
The alarm was raised around 7.10am as the vessel arrived in Lymington, and the master activated the on-board fire suppression system which quickly extinguished the flames.
There were 43 passengers and nine crew members on board at the time, but no injuries were reported and the 17 vehicles on board disembarked at Lymington.
Around 25 firefighters from Lymington, Brockenhurst, Beaulieu, New Milton and Lyndhurst were dispatched to the berth. They used thermal imaging cameras to check for any hotspots, and some personnel entered the craft wearing breathing apparatus.
The crews were backed up by a Lymington RNLI team due to fire service policy requiring safety cover by a lifeboat when working by the water with heavy equipment.
A Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said the emergency had been contained to one of the ship’s engines, which had sustained severe damage.
The craft was immediately taken out of service along with Wightlink’s other two Lymington-Yarmouth vessels, Wight Light and Wight Sun, as investigations were launched.
Extensive assessments have been carried out by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) and, due to this having been the third major engine failure on the ferry in 16 months, engineers from Volvo Penta have also been investigating.
All passengers booked onto the Lymington-Yarmouth crossings were diverted to the Portsmouth to Fishbourne route for the rest of Friday and Saturday and on Sunday morning.
The Lymington-Yarmouth route was finally reopened on Sunday afternoon, but it was drastically reduced to a one-boat service. As well as Wight Sky being subject to continuing investigations, torrential rain over the weekend had caused damage to the electrical supply to Wight Sun while it was plugged in at the Lymington berth.
An assessment carried out in light of the repeated engine problems had also resulted in the Maritime Coastguard Agency ruling that only two out of four engines could be used on crossings. This came with a speed restriction and an order that services could not run if the wind speed was higher than 20 knots constant or gusting at 25 knots.
Consequently, strong winds on Tuesday resulted in all crossings between Lymington and Yarmouth again being cancelled, with passengers redirected to the route between Portsmouth and Fishbourne. The one-ferry service resumed again on Wednesday morning.
These latest disruptions have caused further annoyance for the many passengers who rely on the service to travel between the mainland and the island day-to-day for work.
One passenger, who wished to remain anonymous, commutes from the island three times a week and says he has often encountered problems with the Yarmouth-Lymington service.
“We’ve been putting up with this for quite a considerable amount of time, with boats with engine problems, mechanical issues, wind issues. And the Portsmouth to Fishbourne run has also been having various problems,” he told the A&T.
“I’ve been commuting for many, many years and cannot think of a time when there’s been two-and-a-half days with no boats at all – even when the old Freshwater was on the run, and that was a bit of an old bucket. She kept going better than these.
“There have been other issues as well, with various of the three boats. It becomes a disservice rather than a service.”
The commuter also told of various occasions when his crossing home has been cancelled due to adverse weather such as fog. These resulted in diversions to Portsmouth to catch the ferry to Fishbourne, and he said the resultant delays often meant it could take “all night” to get home.
Other frustrated passengers have made their feelings known in responses to updates on the travel disruptions tweeted by Wightlink on Twitter.
Commenting on news of Tuesday’s cancellation, one person tweeted: “Mind those engines – a whole team of engineers brought in and the best they could come up with is ‘don’t go out when it’s windy’? Joke!!!!!”
Another member of the public tweeted: “Any chance of laying on a charter vessel like [Wightlink] have done in the [past] when it’s been an unmitigated s**t show of a ferry service?”
A tweet that had been posted last Thursday by the Wightlink Ferries account, announcing the company had been shortlisted for Large Business of the Year at the Portsmouth News Business Excellence Awards attracted a scornful response the next day.
“Multiple mechanical breakdowns this year, 3 engine fires, Business Excellence – am I missing something?” the tweet said.
Wightlink has pledged to endeavour to resolve the engine issues.
Mr Greenfield said: “I apologise that Islanders have yet again had to put up with major disruption on our Lymington to Yarmouth route this weekend.
“We are working incredibly hard to restore full service and working with MAIB and Volvo Penta engineers to find the root cause and a permanent solution to this series of engine failures.
“Most of the recent disruption on this route has in some way been linked to poor engine reliability and associated wind restrictions. The last two major failures have involved engines still under warranty.
“We do not experience any significant engine issues on our other routes and our customers should not have to put up with this on the Lymington-Yarmouth service.
“Every effort is being made to find a root cause and permanent solution so that we can provide our customers with the reliable service they deserve and that Wightlink colleagues work so hard to deliver. There will be a solution and it will be found.”
The trouble started on Tuesday 12th September last year when Wight Sky’s second engine exploded and a small blaze broke out as the vessel arrived at Yarmouth. A 55-year-old male crewmember needed hospital treatment after suffering burns and lacerations when the engine oil ignited.
Investigations into this incident established it had been caused by dirt getting into the newly-rebuilt engine.
A report later published by the MCA said: “The consequences of this accident could have been far worse; the engineer was fortunate that his injuries were not life-threatening, and the quick actions of the bridge team ensured the safety of the vessel, passengers and crew.”
On Sunday 26th August this year, Wight Sky was forced to abandon her route and head back to the Isle of Wight after a blaze broke out shortly before 7pm in the forward engine room.
