Schiopparello Jet is a sister ship to Red Jet 3, a catamaran designed and built by FBM Marine on the Isle of Wight for operation by Red Funnel. However, unlike her sister ship, she was built in the United States. She is distinguished from her sister by having a sheltered sundeck.
Built as the Bo Hengy for Bahamas Ferries, the vessel was constructed at the Pequot River Shipworks in New London, Connecticut in 1999. She was retired in 2008. Bahamas Ferries now operates a larger catamaran called Bo Hengy II.
Following purchase by Red Funnel the vessel was transported to Southampton by heavy lift ship arriving 11 June 2009.[1] The vessel was then towed to Portchester to be refurbished with an internal layout based on Red Jet 4. The work was carried out by Testbank along with Coastal and Burgess Marine.[2]
The ship was officially named Red Jet 5 by Shirley Robertson on 21 July 2009, entering service about a week later as a replacement for Red Jet 1 and Red Jet 2, working alongside her sister ship Red Jet 3 and half-sister Red Jet 4.[3] During the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Red Jet 5 was chartered to Thames Clippers for use as a games shuttle on the Thames.
In 2015, Red Funnel announced that she would be replaced by a new ship, Red Jet 6, to be constructed at East Cowes.[4] Once the latter was brought into service in summer 2016,[5] Red Jet 5 was retired and sold.[6]
The vessel was sold to Toremar and renamed Schiopparello Jet. She is used on services from Piombino, on the Tuscan mainland, to Portoferraio, on the island of Elba. Services operate via Cavo, also on the island of Elba.[6] [7]