Wightlink Ferries Boats Information

Two new ferries are currently being built in Kraljevica, Croatia, after tenders went out to shipyards throughout Britain and Europe. The ships will herald a whole new chapter in Wightlink’s history as they will be more fuel efficient, offer greater flexibility and capacity for transporting cars and other commercial traffic; and will have attractive and modern passenger facilities on board – whilst not losing some of the charm that has become synonymous with the ferries on the Lymington-Yarmouth route.

Kraljevica shipyard is one of Europe's oldest established facilities, with a history of shipbuilding that dates back to 1729. The yard is owned by the Croatian Government, which has had to approve the contracts before physical construction can actually commence. Since December, however, much work has gone into finalisation of the design, preparation of drawings, regulatory approval, agreement on main equipment suppliers etc.

The first keel was laid in June, with anticipated launch dates for the ships of the end of September 2007 and the end of January 2008 respectively, Wightlink will take delivery of them in April and May 2008, and they are expected to enter service July of that year.

The new ships are being built under the supervision of Portsmouth based Naval Architects, Hart Fenton; and Wightlink’s own Project Manager, Colin Stanton, who will be based at the yard in Croatia for the duration of the build.