2018 was a challenging year operationally but one in which significant progress was made in the strategic development of the Group.
Schedule disruptions due to technical issues on ULUSSES and the late delivery of the W.B. YEATS lower the profit performance in 2018.
Irish Ferries Challenges Passenger Compensation Ruling
Irish Ferries has brought a High Court challenge over a finding that it must pay compensation to thousands of passengers affected by the cancellation of sailings between Ireland and France last summer.
The company says it had to cancel the services because a new ferry it had ordered, the WB Yeats, to operate the service between Dublin and Cherbourg was delayed for several months.
The challenge has been brought against the National Transport Authority’s decision in January that arising out of the cancellations the company breached EU regulations concerning the rights of passengers travelling by sea.
The ferry ULYSSES returned to Dublin on 13 February, following an extensive dry dock investment at Cammell Laird shipyard in Merseyside.
The four-week upgrade was undertaken to complete refurbishment and maintenance work and will see the Ulysses return to service looking like new, having had new propellers, new rudder components, a full refurbishment of her stern thruster and other underwater works. Investment didn’t stop there, with engine overhauls and vehicle deck painting programmes.
Irish Ferries Will Appeal The NTA’s Decision In The Courts
Irish Ferries expressed its disappointment with the issuing of notices by the National Transport Authority (NTA) in respect of the cancellations that arose following the delayed arrival of the new W.B. YEATS ferry.
Irish Ferries will appeal the NTA’s decision in the courts (including, if needed, the European Court of Justice).
The Irish Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) examined an incident involving the Irish Ferries ro-pax EPSILON, which happened in February 2016. The report has been published and can be downloaded via the link below.
What happened: after sailing from Cherbourg to Dublin the Italian-flagged vessel experienced adverse weather conditions (Force 10, waves 6-9m), causing cargo shifts, damage and injuries to people.
Some issues: Senior Master versus Duty Master, cargo securing, weather forecasting.
Conclusions in paragraph 5, and safety recommendations in paragraph 6.
Irish Ferries’ ULYSSES, operating on the Dublin – Holyhead route, will be out of service longer than expected. The ferry reported technical difficulties with its Starboard Controllable Pitch Propeller on 24 June.
The vessel entered drydock in Belfast on 28 June. The investigation and repairs to the vessel were expected to take no longer than 5 days. However, the issue is more serious than originally anticipated, causing more delays.
Ro-pax EPSILON is being used as replacement vessel and fast ferry DUBLIN SWIFT operates additional evening sailings.
Irish Ferries is boosting services between the UK and Ireland with the introduction of the upgraded, high-speed catamaran DUBLIN SWIFT, which has just entered service following a full internal refurbishment. It replaces the JONATHAN SWIFT, which has been in service since 1999.
It operates two crossings a day, in each direction between Holyhead and Dublin port. The new DUBLIN SWIFT has greater car (220 vehicles) and passenger (820 people) capacity.
Photo: Irish Ferries
Irish Ferries new cruise ferry reached a key milestone on Friday 19 January, when the ship was formally named in traditional style, and the completed hull launched into the water in Flensburg.
Watch the video of the launch (2:58)
Irish Ferries’s new €144 million ferry will be christened W.B. YEATS, after Ireland’s most-loved poet.
The name was chosen after it had drawn ‘strong support’ from the public in a competition that attracted nearly 100,000 entries.
William Butler Yeats was born in Dublin and won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923. The choice continues the tradition adopted by the company of selecting names drawn from the world of Irish literature.
Photo © Irish Ferries