MV ''Schiopparello Jet'' is a passenger catamaran ferry, formerly known as ''Bo Hengy'' and ''Red Jet 5''. She operates on routes from

Piombino Piombino is an Italian town and ''comune'' of about 35,000 inhabitants in the province of Livorno (Tuscany). It lies on the border between the Ligurian Sea and the Tyrrhenian Sea, in front of Elba Island and at the northern side of Maremma. O ...

to the Tuscan archipelago on behalf of ferry operator Toremar (''Toscana Regionale Marittima''). She was built in 1999. ''Schiopparello Jet'' is a sister ship to '' Red Jet 3'', a catamaran designed and built by FBM Marine on the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a Counties of England, county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the List of islands of England#Largest islands, largest and List of islands of England#Mo ...

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.

History

''Bo Hengy''

Built as the ''Bo Hengy'' for

Bahamas Ferries The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to 88% of the ar ...

, the vessel was constructed at the Pequot River Shipworks in

New London, Connecticut New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut. It was one of the world's three busiest whaling ports for several decades ...

in 1999. She was retired in 2008. Bahamas Ferries now operates a larger catamaran called ''Bo Hengy II''.

''Red Jet 5''

Following purchase by Red Funnel the vessel was transported to Southampton by heavy lift ship arriving 11 June 2009. 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 __NOTOC__ Burgess may refer to: People and fictional characters * Burgess (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Burgess (given name), a list of people Places * Burgess, Michigan, an unincorporated community * Burgess, Missouri, U ...

. 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 ''Red Jet 1'' was a high speed catamaran passenger ferry operated by Red Funnel between Southampton and Cowes on the Isle of Wight. She was built by FB Marine in 1991 and was the first waterjet propelled craft to operate on the route. Specif ...

'' and ''

Red Jet 2 ''Red Jet 2'' was a high speed catamaran passenger ferry operated by Red Funnel between Southampton and Cowes on the Isle of Wight. She was built by FB Marine in 1991. She is identical to her sister ship, ''Red Jet 1''. Specification ''Red Je ...

'', working alongside her sister ship ''Red Jet 3'' and half-sister '' Red Jet 4''. During the 2012 Summer Olympics in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, ''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. Once the latter was brought into service in summer 2016, ''Red Jet 5'' was retired and sold.

''Schiopparello Jet''

The vessel was sold to Toremar and renamed ''Schiopparello Jet''. She is used on services from

, on the Tuscan mainland, to Portoferraio, on the island of Elba. Services operate via Cavo, also on the island of Elba.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schiopparello Jet Ferries of England Ferries of Italy Ferries of the Bahamas Individual catamarans 1999 ships Ships of Red Funnel Ferry transport on the Isle of Wight