BareFLEET Monitoring for Red Kestrel

Reygar said that cross-Solent ferry operator, Red Funnel, is installing the BareFLEET monitoring system on Red Kestrel - Red Funnel’s first dedicated RoRo freight ferry.

BareFLEET, a cloud-based monitoring platform that couples remote data collection technology with vessel performance monitoring software, is designed to enable the ferry operator to better support the Island’s freight requirements by providing data to optimize vessel performance, monitor fuel use, and cut vessel downtime.  

Red Kestrel was designed to increase the freight capacity of Red Funnel’s Southampton to East Cowes route, which currently handles 53% of all freight movements across the Solent. At 74m in length, itprovides 265 lane meters of RoRo freight capacity, allowing for 12 HGVs and 12 passengers.

Red Kestrel’s hull shape and propulsion package were chosen with the aim of increasing fuel efficiency and minimizing the ferry’s environmental footprint. In order to ensure that Red Funnel are able to optimize fuel use, BareFLEET will monitor the health of the vessel’s two engines and Rolls Royce Aquamaster thrusters, identify the most efficient cruising speed, and report on opportunities for maintenance that will further increase fuel efficiency, such as hull cleaning and engine tuning.  

BareFLEET is supporting operators across the CTV, towage, and fast ferry industries in increasing vessel availability and operational efficiency. A diverse range of the vessel operators exhibiting at Seawork this week are seeing the benefit of having BareFLEET installed on their fleets. This includes vessels on the berth like Leader, the world’s first hybrid pilot boat, built by Goodchild Marine for Port of London Authority.