Editing Red Funnel (section)

==Current fleet==
{{see also|List of Red Funnel ships}}
[[File:Red Funnel MV Falcon in the Solent.jpg|thumb|''Red Falcon'' in Southampton Water]]
{|class="wikitable"
!Vehicle Ferries
!In service
!Route
|-
|{{MV|Red Falcon||2}}
|1994
|rowspan=4|[[Southampton]] <> [[East Cowes]]
|-
|{{MV|Red Osprey||2}}
|1994
|-
|{{MV|Red Eagle|1996|2}}
|1996
|-
|{{MV|Red Kestrel||2}}
|2019
|-
!Passenger Ferries
!In service
!Route
|-
|''[[Red Jet 6]]''
|2016
| rowspan="2" |[[Southampton]] <> [[Cowes]]
|-
| ''[[Red Jet 7]]''
|2018
|-
|{{MV|Hythe Scene||2}}
|1992
|[[Southampton]] <> [[Hythe, Hampshire|Hythe]]
|}

===Fleet history===
The first three vessels were built by [[Ferguson Shipbuilders]] of [[Port Glasgow]], and entered service between 1994 and 1996. Between 2003 and 2005 the ferries were refitted and extended both in length and height by [[Remontowa S.A.]] in [[Gdańsk]], Poland.<ref name="Car ferry fleet">{{cite web|url=http://www.redfunnel.co.uk/ferry-travel/passenger-vehicle-ferry-service/vehicle-ferry-fleet|title=Red Funnel – Vehicle ferry fleet|access-date=25 December 2008 |publisher=redfunnel.co.uk}}</ref> This was following a corporate decision driven by Tom Docherty to maximise summer operating capacity taking the previous capacity from around 100 CEUs to 213 CEU.

[[File:MV Red Eagle in 2018.JPG|thumb|right|''Red Eagle'', Red Funnel's [[flagship]], in 2018, bearing the new upper deck lounges added during refurbishment.]]

During 2014 ''Red Falcon'' underwent a £2.2&nbsp;million refurbishment, which saw the interior and facilities replaced with a bright and new modern look.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.redfunnel.co.uk/newlook|title=New look for Red Eagle|website=redfunnel.co.uk|access-date=28 January 2018}}</ref> Due to success and increase of passengers on their services during 2014, it was confirmed that ''Red Osprey'' would also receive a £2.2&nbsp;million refurbishment.<ref>{{cite web |title=Green Light Given to Red Osprey Refurbishment |url=http://www.redfunnel.co.uk/corporate-information/media-and-pr/2014-news-releases/green-light-given-to-red-osprey-refurbishment/ |publisher=Red Funnel |access-date=16 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171204234344/http://www.redfunnel.co.uk/corporate-information/media-and-pr/2014-news-releases/green-light-given-to-red-osprey-refurbishment/ |archive-date=4 December 2017 |date=2014}}</ref> Like her sister ship, the Red Osprey was refitted and relaunched almost exactly a year later. After a delay of three years, the ''Red Eagle'' was refitted at the end of 2017.

In 2016, Red Funnel took delivery of a new 40-metre high-speed catamaran constructed in East Cowes by [[Shemara Refit LLP]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.redfunnel.co.uk/redjet6|title=Red Jet 6 Specification|website=redfunnel.co.uk|access-date=28 January 2018}}</ref> Named by the [[Princess Royal]] on 4 July 2016, ''[[Red Jet 6]]'' entered service later in the summer.<ref>{{cite web|title=Royal naming for new Red Jet 6 passenger ferry|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-36701470|work=BBC News |access-date=4 July 2016}}</ref> ''Red Jet 7'' was built by [[Wight Shipyard]] in East Cowes. ''Red Jet 7'' was lowered into the [[River Medina]] at East Cowes on 6 June 2018, and was christened during a [[Ceremonial ship launching|launching ceremony]] on 24 July 2018.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Tew |first1=Imogen |title=Gallery: Red Funnel's new Red Jet 7 in the water for the first time at East Cowes |url=http://www.iwcp.co.uk/news/16275406.GALLERY__Red_Jet_7_in_the_water_for_the_first_time_at_East_Cowes/ |website=[[Isle of Wight County Press]] |access-date=7 June 2018}}</ref>

[[File:Red Kestrel HGV ferry.jpg|thumb|''Red Kestrel'' ferry heading down Southampton Water]]
In February 2018, Red Funnel announced plans to introduce a new freight only ferry into the fleet, to coincide with the refurbishment of their facilities on both sides of the Solent. It was built at the [[Cammell Laird]] shipyard in [[Birkenhead]], and was designed to have similar dimensions to Red Funnel's Raptor-class fleet, allowing it to load and unload at the same [[linkspan]] used by the other ferries.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Island Echo|date=2018-02-14|title=Red Funnel Places Order for new £10 million Freight Ferry|url=https://www.islandecho.co.uk/red-funnel-places-order-new-10million-freight-ferry/|access-date=2021-03-16|language=en-GB}}</ref> Construction of the new ferry began on 31 May 2018 with a formal [[keel laying]] ceremony.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Woolven |first1=James |title=Pictures: Construction officially begins for Red Funnel's new freight ship |url=http://www.iwcp.co.uk/news/16263481.PICTURES__Construction_officially_begins_for_Red_Funnel_s_new_freight_ship/ |website=[[Isle of Wight County Press]] |access-date=2 June 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Ferry firm's new, British-built, 74m vessel, costing £10m, will be named Red Kestrel |url=http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/16262479.ferry-firms-new-british-built-74m-vessel-costing-10m-will-be-named-red-kestrel/ |work=[[Southern Daily Echo|Daily Echo]]|access-date=13 July 2018}}</ref> During this event, the ship's name was announced to be ''Red Kestrel'', placing its name in line with those of the rest of Red Funnel's RO-RO ferry fleet. She entered service in May 2019.<ref>{{cite web |title=Red Kestrel Enters Service |url=https://www.redfunnel.co.uk/en/corporate-info/media-pr/press-release-library/red-kestrel-enters |website=www.redfunnel.co.uk |publisher=Red Funnel |access-date=16 November 2020 |date=24 May 2019}}</ref>