Red Funnel announced in May 2015 that they had placed an order for the £6 million vessel with Shemara Refit LLP of East Cowes, making Red Jet 6 the first high-speed ferry built in the UK in fifteen years. Red Jet 6 was constructed in East Cowes's former aircraft hangar, originally built for the Saunders-Roe aircraft company. She entered service in the summer of 2016.[1]
Red Jet 6 is 41.12m (134.91feet) long, with a passenger capacity of 275. She is powered by four MTU series 2000 diesel engines, each powering a waterjet for propulsion and steering giving a service speed of 38kn, allowing a crossing time of 23 minutes. She can operate with one engine out with only a minor reduction in speed.[1] [2]
Red Jet 6 was named by the Princess Royal at a ceremony at East Cowes on 4 July 2016.[3]
On 29 June 2017, Red Jet 6 set a new record for the circumnavigation of the Isle of Wight by multihulls, starting and finishing at the Royal Yacht Squadron starting line at Cowes, taking 1hr, 17mins, 17secs at an average speed of .[4]