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Decision By Irish Ferries to Halt Rosslare Service Believed to be Due to Market

20th December 2018
AFLOAT adds the new €147m luxury cruiseferry W.B. Yeats is due to arrive to Dublin Port this morning (December 20) completing its delivery voyage from Germany via Rosslare (above) yesterday.  Last night, Afloat tracked the giant newbuild heading for Holyhead, where it was the turn of the north Wales port, to receive berthing trials carried out by the vessel. Originally, W.B. Yeats was to end its debut summer season on the Dublin-Cherbourg route in September and join existing tonnage on the core Dublin-Holyhead route over the winter months. AFLOAT adds the new €147m luxury cruiseferry W.B. Yeats is due to arrive to Dublin Port this morning (December 20) completing its delivery voyage from Germany via Rosslare (above) yesterday. Last night, Afloat tracked the giant newbuild heading for Holyhead, where it was the turn of the north Wales port, to receive berthing trials carried out by the vessel. Originally, W.B. Yeats was to end its debut summer season on the Dublin-Cherbourg route in September and join existing tonnage on the core Dublin-Holyhead route over the winter months. Credit: Rosslare Harbour Maritime Heritage Centre (Brian Boyce) -facebook

#ferry - The decision by Irish Ferries not to run ferry services from Rosslare to France from next year writes The Irish Times, is based simply on the judgment that a Dublin service will be more profitable, industry figures believe.

The company’s parent Irish Continental Group paid €147million for the WB Yeats, its new “cruise ferry” which can cater for 1,885 passengers and 1,200 vehicles, and which has just arrived in Ireland (see, Rosslare call yesterday). 

Maritime sources said the decision may have boiled down to a simple one: which port, Dublin or Rosslare, can deliver the most business – and so payback – for the new ship.

Irish Ferries will continue to serve Pembroke in south Wales from Rosslare while Stena will continue services on its Rosslare to Fishguard and Rosslare to Cherbourg, France, route.

In a statement on Monday, Irish Ferries informed potential passengers it was unlikely to operate a service between Rosslare and France in 2019. The company said it would continue to keep this situation under review.

The new WB Yeats ship will operate from Dublin to Cherbourg up to four times per week.

Further coverage on the story can be read here. 

Published in Ferry
Jehan Ashmore

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Jehan Ashmore

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Jehan Ashmore is a marine correspondent, researcher and photographer, specialising in Irish ports, shipping and the ferry sector serving the UK and directly to mainland Europe. Jehan also occasionally writes a column, 'Maritime' Dalkey for the (Dalkey Community Council Newsletter) in addition to contributing to UK marine periodicals. 

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Ferry & Car Ferry News The ferry industry on the Irish Sea, is just like any other sector of the shipping industry, in that it is made up of a myriad of ship operators, owners, managers, charterers all contributing to providing a network of routes carried out by a variety of ships designed for different albeit similar purposes.

All this ferry activity involves conventional ferry tonnage, 'ro-pax', where the vessel's primary design is to carry more freight capacity rather than passengers. This is in some cases though, is in complete variance to the fast ferry craft where they carry many more passengers and charging a premium.

In reporting the ferry scene, we examine the constantly changing trends of this sector, as rival ferry operators are competing in an intensive environment, battling out for market share following the fallout of the economic crisis. All this has consequences some immediately felt, while at times, the effects can be drawn out over time, leading to the expense of others, through reduced competition or takeover or even face complete removal from the marketplace, as witnessed in recent years.

Arising from these challenging times, there are of course winners and losers, as exemplified in the trend to run high-speed ferry craft only during the peak-season summer months and on shorter distance routes. In addition, where fastcraft had once dominated the ferry scene, during the heady days from the mid-90's onwards, they have been replaced by recent newcomers in the form of the 'fast ferry' and with increased levels of luxury, yet seeming to form as a cost-effective alternative.

Irish Sea Ferry Routes

Irrespective of the type of vessel deployed on Irish Sea routes (between 2-9 hours), it is the ferry companies that keep the wheels of industry moving as freight vehicles literally (roll-on and roll-off) ships coupled with motoring tourists and the humble 'foot' passenger transported 363 days a year.

As such the exclusive freight-only operators provide important trading routes between Ireland and the UK, where the freight haulage customer is 'king' to generating year-round revenue to the ferry operator. However, custom built tonnage entering service in recent years has exceeded the level of capacity of the Irish Sea in certain quarters of the freight market.

A prime example of the necessity for trade in which we consumers often expect daily, though arguably question how it reached our shores, is the delivery of just in time perishable products to fill our supermarket shelves.

A visual manifestation of this is the arrival every morning and evening into our main ports, where a combination of ferries, ro-pax vessels and fast-craft all descend at the same time. In essence this a marine version to our road-based rush hour traffic going in and out along the commuter belts.

Across the Celtic Sea, the ferry scene coverage is also about those overnight direct ferry routes from Ireland connecting the north-western French ports in Brittany and Normandy.

Due to the seasonality of these routes to Europe, the ferry scene may be in the majority running between February to November, however by no means does this lessen operator competition.

Noting there have been plans over the years to run a direct Irish –Iberian ferry service, which would open up existing and develop new freight markets. Should a direct service open, it would bring new opportunities also for holidaymakers, where Spain is the most visited country in the EU visited by Irish holidaymakers ... heading for the sun!