Following the recent announcement of the Jetfoil “São Jorge” being scrapped, the Jetfoil Conservation Concern Group has now confirmed another vessel is set to be dismantled.
According to sources within the group, the vessel “Funchal,” which had been in a shipyard in Hong Kong for some time, has had its identification obscured and was relocated to the area of the shipyard where vessels are dismantled.
The group noted that this scrapping follows immediately after that of “São Jorge,” which was the first Jetfoil to be retired and dismantled from those previously submitted to extensive revamps and operated as “Premier” Jetfoils.
Additionally, a former Premier Jetfoil, with Funchal just days ahead of it, is likely to be turned into scrap metal in the coming days.
The “Funchal” was built in 1979 and named after the capital city of the Portuguese island of Madeira. It was sold to Far East Hydrofoils in Hong Kong around 1982, after operating for a few years in the UK on the route between London and Ostend, Belgium.
Following the 2008 collision between “Funchal” and “Santa Maria,” Funchal was selected as the first Premier Jetfoil, featuring a Scandinavian-designed interior.
This Jetfoil had a fixed schedule and initially only offered Premier Grand Class and Premier Class services. However, it later began operating like the other Premier Jetfoils, featuring Premier Class, Super Class, and Economy Class.
Unlike the later Premier Jetfoils, which have only one main Premier Grand cabin, the extra Premier Grand cabin on the upper deck on both “Funchal” and “Terceira” was preserved after the conversion but was primarily used as Economy Class.
The vessel was very popular and familiar to people, as it was typically the vessel used in all promotional activities by TurboJet, including onboard safety videos that are still in use.
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