Plans are going ahead to replace the troubled Floating Bridge 6.

A working group has been set up for the project to replace the vessel, and the Isle of Wight Council is currently “on target” with its timescales.

Councillor Julie Jones-Evans, chair of County Hall’s economy, regeneration, transport and infrastructure committee (ERTIC), has said the local authority looks forward to what the “market has to offer” after an update on the replacement process at County Hall.

The Isle of Wight Council decided to push ahead with a plan to find a new Cowes-East Cowes ferry in October last year.

At that time, ERTIC members voted to ‘assess market interest around the supply of a new vessel’ and agreed to instruct officers to ‘procure a qualified company to articulate a high-level requirement specification and invite companies to procure solutions’.

The committee’s recommendations for a new vessel included that it carry out a minimum of five crossings an hour, be at the location of the existing service, transport vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians and has a sustainability focus.

ERTIC also asked for a working party open to committee members, officers and qualified stakeholders to act as a project board for the replacement process.

Michelle Love, service director for highways and community protection at the Isle of Wight Council, told ERTIC County Hall was “on schedule”. She said: