Launching ceremony Red Kestrel

KST assisted in the launching of Red Kestrel at Cammell Laird Liverpool

Series of photographs taken at Cammell Laird Liverpool for the launch of the Red Kestrel. PR photography, drone stills and video by Christian Smith.

Phil Dulson, KST's General Manager UK commented: “We are delighted by today’s launch of Red Kestrel. It was an interesting job for KST, with successful planning and execution. Also nice the colour schemes matched for the photographs”.

British shipbuilder Cammell Laird has launched a new ferry it has built for Isle of Wight ferry operator Red Funnel. The Red Kestrel, a new freight-only RoRo vessel, will operate between Southampton and Isle of Wight. The 1,070 gross ton newbuild will officially join the fleet on arrival in Southampton, and enter service in May 2019, following a trials and training period.

Red Kestrel is Red Funnel’s first ship to be designed for freight traffic. As a freight vessel, it is limited to 12 passengers and constructed specifically to provide additional year-round freight capacity for Red Funnel’s Southampton-East Cowes route, which currently handles 53% of all freight movements across the Solent. At 74 meters in length, the newbuild will provide 265 lane meters of roll-on/roll-off freight capacity.