Safety at sea is key as ferry firm invites the Coastguard aboard for joint training exercise

Wightlink has struck up a collaboration with the crew at HM Coastguard’s Joint Response Co-ordination Centre (JRCC) in Fareham to help improve safety at sea.

Captains and bridge officers joined Wightlink aboard two of its Portsmouth-Fishbourne ferries recently as they shared practices and explored how to better work together over the coming years.

Costguard Commander George Close said: “These training visits give us valuable insights into commercial ferry operations.

“Should there be an incident in the Solent we’ll work together, so it’s important to know each other’s systems and procedures.

“This builds upon the regular Search and Rescue exercises we carry out with Wightlink and other ferry operators in the region.”

Wightlink operates six vehicle ferries and two FastCat foot passenger catamarans, connecting the Isle of Wight with its ports in Portsmouth and Lymington.

The next step in their collaboration is to send crews over to the Fareham JRCC, where they can learn more about the planning of Coastguard operations.

Captain Sam Mitchell, Head of Fleet Operations at Wightlink, added: “Our bridge teams have unrivalled knowledge of Solent waters and value our close links with the Coastguard.

“We were pleased to welcome them on board and hope to carry out more joint exercises in the near future.”

• wightlink.co.uk