MV St Faith

St Faith outbound from Portsmouth Harbour 27 June 2013.
History
United Kingdom
Name	MV St Faith
Operator	Wightlink
Port of registry	London
Builder	Cochrane Shipbuilders Ltd, Selby
Launched	28 February 1990
In service	1990
Identification	IMO number: 8907228 MMSI number: 235031618 Callsign: MMDA5
Status	In service
General characteristics
Class and type	Car Passenger Ferry
Tonnage	3,009 GT[1]
Length	77.05 metres (252.8 ft)
Beam	17.2 metres (56 ft)
Draught	2.48 metres (8 ft 2 in)
Installed power	3x 850bhp 6-cyl MAN 6ASL25 diesel engines
Propulsion	3x Voith Schneider cycloidal propellers
Speed	12.5 knots (23.2 km/h; 14.4 mph)
Capacity	722 passengers 142 cars 12 lorries
Crew	10-12

MV St Faith is a vehicle and passenger ferry operated by Wightlink on its route from Portsmouth to Fishbourne on the Isle of Wight. As with former sister ship St Cecilia, there were plans to increase St Faith's capacity by extending her length by 12 metres (39 ft).[2]^[needs update] Entering service in 1990, the ferry's name is taken from St Faith's Church, Cowes.

Incidents

2010 dock collision

On arrival in Portsmouth on 28 May 2010, St Faith collided heavily with the dock, injuring two passengers and causing minor damage. The vessel was temporarily withdrawn from service.[3][4]

2015 breakdown

On 28 February 2015 the St Faith suffered an engine failure in the middle of the Solent around 20 minutes into the 8 am crossing to the Isle of Wight. The captain decided to return to Portsmouth, and tug SD Bountiful towed the ferry back to the Gunwharf Quays terminal. The crew switched to St Helen to continue the service. After repairs, St Faith returned to service on 13 March 2015.^[citation needed]

2017 fire

On 19 January 2017 a fire broke out in a cigarette bin on the port side bridge wing of the ferry whilst mid-Solent. The fire was extinguished by crew and no casualties were reported.[5] Two fire appliances from Ryde Fire Station were sent to the scene at Wightlink's Fishbourne ferry terminal along with the Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service's Incident Support Unit from East Cowes. Bembridge Coastguard Rescue Team, the Isle of Wight Ambulance Service and local police also attended the incident.[6]

References

1. Nick Widdows, [1998] Ferries of the British Isles & Northern Europe; Ferry Publications
2. "Wightlink - St Faith". www.wightlink.co.uk. Archived from the original on 23 September 2008. Retrieved 14 November 2008.
3. "Passengers hurt in ferry crash". Isle of Wight County Press. 2 January 2002. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
4. "Two hurt as Isle of Wight ferry hits Portsmouth dock". BBC News. 28 May 2010. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
5. Schuler, Mike (19 January 2017). "Ferry Evacuated After Fire in the Solent". Maritime Executive. The UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency says it was notified at about 9:30 a.m. Thursday that a fire had broken out on the Wightlink ferry St Faith while en route from Portsmouth to Fishbourne on the Isle of Wight. The vessel continued to the ferry terminal in Fishbourne where a fire fighting crews were able to extinguished the fire. All 65 passengers who were on board the ferry were evacuated and all are reported safe.
6. "BLACK SMOKE BILLOWS FROM WIGHTLINK FERRY". Island Echo. 19 January 2017. Retrieved 19 January 2017.

External links

• Wightlink website - wightlink.co.uk