A significant disruption occurred at Wightlink’s Portsmouth Gunwharf terminal early Thursday morning after a person threatened to jump off a ferry just before departure. This emergency led to a large police operation and caused delays of up to three hours on cross-Solent sailings.
Coastguard rescue teams in drysuits quickly responded to the incident shortly after 4am, deploying from Portsmouth and Hillhead. Specialist police negotiators engaged with the individual who made the threat moments before the 3am sailing was scheduled to leave Portsmouth.
The 3am ferry did not depart as planned, and the last vessel, the Victoria of Wight, returned to Portsmouth just before 2am. Due to this unexpected event, the Portsmouth-Fishbourne ferry service was immediately suspended until further notice.
Hampshire Constabulary advised the public via Twitter to avoid the terminal while authorities handled the situation. Wightlink confirmed the disruption was caused by a “customer-related” emergency but did not provide further details.
Thousands of passengers travelling to or from the Isle of Wight were warned to expect severe delays throughout the day, with some cancellations anticipated to last all day. Wightlink urged passengers not to travel to the terminal until further updates are issued.
A Wightlink spokesperson stated: “All customers booked on this route today are likely to be affected. We will keep them informed through email this morning.” Although the immediate crisis is reported as “resolved,” the Portsmouth-Fishbourne ferry service remains suspended with no confirmed timetable for resuming normal operations.
Originally published by UKNIP.
