Ferry company sold for £11.6m to river bus firm

A ferry company that has provided a service linking Gosport and Portsmouth for over 100 years has been sold for £11.6m.

The Portsmouth Harbour Ferry Company, which was owned by conglomerate FIH Group, has been acquired by the owners of the London-based river bus firm that trades as Uber Boat by Thames Clippers.

The Gosport Ferry takes passengers across Portsmouth Harbour in a journey that takes a little over five minutes. FIH's website said the same journey is about 14 miles long by road and could take up to an hour.

Caroline Dinenage, the Conservative MP for Gosport, said she had been reassured the takeover would not affect services or staff.

She said the transfer of ownership had taken place on Tuesday morning and that it would be "very much business as usual".

"There will be no job losses, no change to service levels and no plans to alter the Gosport Ferry branding," she said.

The MP said she planned to meet the new owners to discuss their long-term plans for the service and asked residents what issues they would like her to raise.

The buyer operates commuter boat services on the River Thames in London.

In a statement, it said: "We're delighted to be acquiring a much-admired, long-standing ferry service linking the key strategic points of Portsmouth and Gosport, and plan to futureproof it for generations to come."

FIH Group, which has operations in the Falkland Islands and elsewhere, confirmed the business had been sold for about £11.6m in a regulatory filing.

Chief executive Stuart Munro said the proceeds would be used to support the group's remaining companies and provide a return to investors.

He added that FIH was confident it had found "a new owner with deep industry experience who will continue to put the customer and team at the heart of decision making".

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