Commuters and visitors can celebrate their latest love affair with the Thames now that Venus Clipper has sailed into town.
Our high-tech new catamaran made her maiden voyage – travelling 200 nautical miles from Wight Shipyard Co where she was built on the Isle of Wight – before joining the our fleet in the capital.
As the 19th vessel to join our service, the 222-capacity passenger boat represents a £4 million investment for us. By adding flexibility across a busy network of routes, Venus Clipper is expected to help transport an extra 300,000 commuters and visitors across the 25km river network every year, including RB1 and RB6 routes, while also boosting our charter offering. The new vessel features over 70 tabled seats, making it more adaptable for commuters and specialist charters alike.
Our CEO and co-founder, Sean Collins, said:
“MBNA Thames Clippers has been on an incredible journey over the last two decades and come such a long way since we transported our first passengers back in 1999. We are now in our 20th anniversary year and have grown to carry over 4 million passengers annually – an amazing feat and proof that London should make more of the River Thames in its transport strategy.
“Venus Clipper is our largest capacity vessel and offers 50 more seats than the last two vessels that joined our fast-growing fleet in 2017. We are confident it will be a welcome, and even greater customer experience, addition to the capital’s growing river network.”
With more Londoners opting to travel by river every year, the new arrival is part of a wider strategy to enhance the passenger experience, with a new riverboat terminal at Royal Wharf Pier on target to open this summer.
