Irish Ferries bareboat charter and acquisition of Spirit of Britain, which served P&O Ferries Dover-Calais service, will lead to the Irish operator’s transfer of Isle of Innisfree from the UK-France link to their Rosslare-Pembroke route, writes Jehan Ashmore.
The changes to the fleet, see the 1,140 passenger, 600 car, and 83 freight vehicle capacity cruise ferry Isle of Innisfree head to the Ireland-Wales route which is to end a temporary charter of ropax Norbay, another P&O Ferries vessel that served Dublin-Liverpool route until closing last year.
Andrew Sheen, Managing Director at Irish Ferries, said: “The addition of the Isle of Innisfree on the Rosslare Pembroke route and the Spirit of Britain on the Dover-Calais route is a sign of our ongoing commitment to these routes, and ensuring we offer our freight and passenger customers quality service for these important connections between Britain and Ireland and Britain and France. We look forward to welcoming passengers on board to experience our award-winning hospitality and service.”
Isle of Innisfree was originally the Prins Filip, built in 1992 by the Boelwerf shipyard in Belgium, from where it first operated to the UK for Belgium state company RMT, but over the decades the ship has changed hands and been renamed 10 times, but the ferry, despite a varied career, has always remained operating between ports the UK to Belgium and France.
When Isle of Innisfree enters service on the Rosslare-Pembroke Dock route, this will cease the criticism of the Norbay (see related story), which, due to restricted access to the passenger deck, could not cater for passengers, in particular those with a disability. Also, the freight-orientated ship does not carry 'foot' passengers and has basic limited facilities when compared to the cruise-ferries operated by Irish Ferries on the Irish Sea.
At least with the introduction of the Isle of Innisfree, Irish Ferries can address the shortcomings of the Norbay as the newcomer from the Strait of Dover, will host enhanced quality facilities for passengers and freight drivers.
Facilities feature a brassiere self-service restaurant, café, a club class lounge, on board duty-free shop, children’s play area, and spacious outdoor decks. In addition, for freight drivers, they will have their own lounge and cabins to complete the overall accommodation.
The purchase obligation agreement by Irish Ferries of the Spirit of Britain from DP World France SAS (subsidiary of DP World), the owner of P&O Ferries, is to see the ship renamed before entering the Dover-Calais service in June. This will lead to the direct replacement of smaller Isle of Innisfree on this busy route, which is the key trade link for the UK to Europe.
The boost in capacity by the 2000 passenger, 1,059 cars, or 180 freight vehicles Spirit of Britain will, as Afloat highlights, represent the largest ship of the Irish Ferries Dover-Calais based fleet and, with a speed of 22 knots, operate sailings on the Strait of Dover.
As such, the introduction of the 213m ‘Spirit’ class for Irish Ferries will also maintain a three-ferry route operated service to include the cruise-ferry Isle of Inishmore and the ropax Isle of Inisheer.
Spirit of Britain was built in 2010 by STX Europe (Aker) shipyard in Rauma, Finland, for P&O’s premier Dover-Calais service, entering the route the following year. The second of the ‘Spirit’ class, the Spirit of France joined in 2012 and remains running with the rival operator.
According to Irish Ferries, the Spirit of Britain will undergo rebranding to its livery and to add the company’s popular branded outlets, passenger areas and on-board facilities, which include a Club lounge with its own outdoor area, children’s play area, Duty Free Shop, pet lounge, and expansive outdoor decks.
Freight drivers will also benefit from the well-equipped facilities, including a drivers’ lounge and dedicated showers.
