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Investigations after passengers were asked to reposition cars on still moving ferry
The Isle of Wight ferry company Wightlink was under investigation after passengers of the 'St. Clare' were asked to 'reposition' their vehicles while thw dwee< was still moving into Portsmouth, enroute from Fishbourne, approaching the Gunwharf terminal, during the final crossing on March 8,. Wightlink confirmed that a crew member had asked some customers to reposition their vehicles before the ferry had fully berthed, in order to enable a speedier disembarkation. According to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) safety protocols, passengers were expected to leave their vehicles once the ferry departs and remain in the designated passenger areas. Access to the vehicle deck is generally restricted until the vessel is fully alongside and secured to the berth. The rule is designed to reduce risk if an incident occurs while a ship is underway, such as a sudden manoeuvre or collision, such as the allision of the 'St. Clare' with the Gunwharf terminal on Feb 17, which could leave people on the vehicle deck vulnerable to injury. Wightlink’s own terms and conditions state that passengers must leave the vehicle decks before departure and not return while the ferry is underway, unless instructed by the crew. An internal incident report was raised by the crew. Wightlink carried out a thorough internal investigation, led by the head of fleet operations. Having reviewed CCTV footage and spoken to both the customer and crew members, we proactively reported the incident to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). The company sent out an all-fleet advisory bulletin to remind crews that vehicles should not be moved until the vessel has fully docked. The MCA was currently investigating.
Wightlink ferry allided with Gunwharf terminal in Portsmouth
The 'St. Clare' allided with the Gunwharf terminal in Portsmouth, UK, during a berthing manoevre on the morning of Feb 17. 2026, at 08:00 a.m. GMT. The ferry, coming in stern first, hit the wooden fenders, smashed the ramp, and the timber fender fell into the water. There was damage both to the ship's prow andthe port infrastructure. The wooden berth was covered in scrapes with one of the timbers apparently missing. The passengers disembarked the top deck because they had another ramp, and then the damaged ramp had to be supported. The ferry reversed and turned around. The vehicles had to reverse off the ferry too as a consquence. Several services on the Gunwharf–Fishbourne route have been cancelled on the afternoon until at least 3:20 p.m. from Gunwharf and 4:20 p.m. from Fishbourne while the situation was assessed. No alternative sailings were offered on the route, while teams were trying to find solutions that minimised disruption for customers. All other routes were operating as normal. After carrying out overnight repairs, the 'St. Clare' could return to its normal services again on Feb 18.
Both engines of ferry developed faults
The 'St. Clare' remained sidelined in Portsmouth because of the ongoing technical problem as of Feb 21. Both of the ferry's engines have developed faults which were believed to be linked.. The operator Wightlink had to cancel all of the scheduled sailings on Feb 21 and have informed customers. The "St Faith' was operating a shuttle service and was fully booked. Travel plans for customers were disrupted, and they were asked to cancel or amend bookings online, full refunds were given free-of-charge. Engineers were working to fix the problem. Extra sailings were run between Lymington and Yarmouth overnight. Customers who had booked on the 'St Clare' and had their sailing cancelled can travel on the FastCat free-of-charge.
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