2009. From May 2008 Wightlink introduced a fuel surcharge on all crossings, linked to the price of Brent Crude oil. However, in November 2008 the surcharge dropped to zero following the sharp reduction in crude prices during the credit crunch and as of November 2009 was still at zero. Wightlink planned to spend £17.5 million on improving its Portsmouth to Fishbourne route. This involved remodelling the terminal facilities at both Fishbourne and Portsmouth. The flagship was to have its upper car deck adjusted so vehicles access it directly from on-shore ramps. Two of the older ferries were to be stretched in length by 12 metres, with upper car decks similar to St Clare'''s being added, replacing movable mezzanine decks. Of the remaining two ferries, has been sold and was used mainly for freight until she too was sold. As part of this investment project the reservations and ticketing system was replaced by CarRes from Carus. On 16 February 2015, Wightlink was sold by the Macquarie European Infrastructure Fund to Balfour Beatty Infrastructure Partners (BBIP). On 15 May 2015, Wightlink announced a revised investment of £45 million to include the purchase a new ferry, upgrading St Clare'' and modifications to the terminals at both ends to facilitate double-deck loading. In July 2016, Balfour Beatty exited BBIP, which became Basalt Infrastructure Partners. In August 2017, Wightlink announced that a new vehicle ferry, , would be built for the Portsmouth to Fishbourne service. It entered service on 26 August 2018. In May 2019, BBIP sold a 50% stake in the business to Fiera Infrastructure of Canada. Current fleet Vehicle ferries The introduction of the Wight class ferries was a much-discussed affair, with some Lymington residents claiming that the increased size of the ferries posed a risk, both in environmental terms and to users of pleasure craft on the Lymington river. High-speed craft Historic fleet The following ferries have operated historically on routes run by Wightlink or previous companies that have been absorbed by Wightlink. Lymington-Yarmouth Portsmouth-Ryde Portsmouth-Fishbourne Langstone Harbour-Bembridge References Bibliography External links Ferry companies of England Ferry transport on the Isle of Wight Transport in Hampshire Transport in Portsmouth