- Stena RoRo ordered 2 hybrid propulsion vessels designed to run on methanol, and future proofed for both battery propulsion and shore power.
- Stena Line Belfast-Heysham route
- Launch on the Irish Sea in 2025
- Length 147m/2,800 lane metres, which is an 80% increase on current ship capacities.
- Actual ship 1: STENA HIBERNIA 142m/1,710 lane metres,
- Actual ship 2: STENA SCOTIA 142m/1,692 lane metres
- The unique tidal systems prevailing in Heysham can be challenging. Each vessel will be fitted with a bespoke marine technology configuration making it more resilient to the prevailing weather conditions. Three bow thrusters.
- Shipyard Jinling Weihai, China
- Design: NAOS
- Competition on Belfast-Heysham: Seatruck Ferries (CLdN Group)
Pre-Brexit, Pre-1999 Return Of The Irish Sea?
On 24 May 2021, Stena Line is bringing its new vessel STENA ESTRID back to its key Holyhead – Dublin route (after it sailed between Rosslare and Cherbourg).
STENA HORIZON will again operate alongside STENA FORETELLER on Rosslare – Cherbourg.
The ships had swapped due to increased freight demand on direct routes to France and low travel volumes between Holyhead and Dublin.
The end of lockdowns have resulted in increased freight volumes and a high demand for travel between Ireland and Britain.
Added bonus: duty free (which is now possible because of Brexit after it was abolished in 1999).
STENA ESTRID will provide two daily return crossings each way between Holyhead and Dublin. Where it is expected that onboard Duty-Free sales, now available after Brexit, will become very popular.
The DFDS roro vessel ARK DANIA has left the France-Ireland route. She was the only vessel used for non-accompanied freight. The roro had been introduced on the route in April as 4th ship.
CLdN is about to add tonnage to its Continent – Ireland routes: ALF POLLAK (photo) and CADENA 3.
As a part of the ongoing development of Stena Line’s Irish Sea route network, the STENA FORECASTER is transferred from Stena RoRo to Stena Line and entered service on the Belfast – Liverpool route on Tuesday, 12 February 2019.
STENA FORERUNNER will transfer back to the North Sea and will operate on Rotterdam-Killingholme.
2017 marked another record trading year for Stena Line on its routes from Belfast to Cairnryan, Liverpool and Heysham.
- Freight units: 514,000 (+3%)
- Cars: 360,000 (+2.5%)
- Passengers: over 1.5m (+2.5%)
- Coach traffic delivered the biggest increase at 10.5% underscoring Belfast’s ongoing tourist boom.
Today Belfast represents Stena Line’s largest operational hub with seven ships providing up to 22 daily crossing options.
A further £500,000 will be invested in the upgrade of onboard passenger facilities this spring.
Photo: Stena Line
Seatruck Ferries’ volume across the three routes increased at just over 10% compared with an overall market growth of 3.9%.
Seatruck now operates 76 departures per week on their three Irish Sea routes:
- Heysham – Warrenpoint
- Heysham – Dublin
- Liverpool – Dublin
Seatruck believe that the worsening truck driver shortage is leading to a growth in unaccompanied trailer shipments. By shipping trailer only, from ports which reduce road mileage compared with the traditional transit through Wales or Scotland, operators can make significant door to door savings in what is an increasingly competitive logistics landscape, says Seatruck.
In the coming weeks a new £7m loading ramp will be installed at Heysham Port.
Photo: Gordon Hislip