Military Stage Dramatic Foil Ferry Hijack in Solent with Red Funnel’s Red Eagle
A high-stakes military drill is underway today, with the Red Funnel car ferry Red Eagle playing a starring role in a simulated hijack across the Solent.
Helicopters in High-Alert Over Solent
Merlin and Chinook helicopters have been spotted patrolling the skies this lunchtime, joined by fixed-wing aircraft from HM Coastguard and the Royal Air Force. Coastguard Rescue 175 from Lee-on-Solent and the National Police Air Service helicopter also joined the intense operation.
Commandos Storm Ferry Deck
Insiders reveal that elite commandos abseiled from a Chinook helicopter onto the Red Eagle’s deck, simulating a daring hostage rescue mission.
Echoes of Recent Real-Life Drama
This exercise comes less than two weeks after the real-life Nave Andromeda standoff off Ventnor, where the Special Boat Service stormed an oil tanker after violent trouble from stowaways. Just like in the real event, a Chinook helicopter launched directly from the SBS base in Poole towards the ferry to replicate the dramatic rescue.
