Isle of Wight Red Eagle ferry set for £3m refurbishment
A cross-Solent vehicle ferry is to undergo a £3m refurbishment, operator Red Funnel has announced.
It said the work on its Red Eagle car ferry would be carried out by Southampton company Trimline.
The refit will include an increased number of seats, a premium lounge as well as a "dedicated pet lounge".
It is the latest investment by the consortium of UK and Canadian pension funds which bought Red Funnel earlier this year.
Red Funnel chief executive Kevin George said the ship would get a "contemporary new look and a class-leading travel experience".
"Once again we are particularly pleased to award the work to local suppliers, supporting jobs in both Southampton and in East Cowes on the island," he added.
The work is due to start in January 2018 with the vessel expected back in service by April.
The company announced a new high-speed passenger ferry, Red Jet 7 would be built on the Isle of Wight.
Red Eagle was built in Glasgow in 1996 , is one of three roll-on-roll-off ferries on the Southampton to east Cowes route.