#FERRY REFIT – In readiness for annual refit, Stena Line's Dublin-Holyhead two-ship service, is to be relieved shortly by a chartered Finnish ro-pax ferry, Finnarrow (1996/25,996grt) which carried out 'berthing trials' in Dublin Port yesterday, writes Jehan Ashmore.

When the Stena Nordica (2000/24,206grt)  is away in dry-dock, Finnarrow will take her roster in tandem with the route's second ro-pax Stena Advanturer. The relief ferry is owned by Finnlines and she has a 274 passenger capacity, space for 800 cars and can handle 154-freight trailer units.

In order for Finnarrow to perform berthing procedures at the single linkspan used exclusively by Stena Line at Dublin Ferryport (Terminal 2), the Stena Nordica departed the port into the rough sea of Dublin Bay. During this time she circled the Dublin Bay Buoy and throughout the bay, before returning to the berth just vacated by Finnarrow, so to resume her scheduled afternoon sailing to Holyhead.

Finnarrow had earlier this week set sail from the German Baltic Sea port of Travemünde and arrived at the Welsh port on Wednesday lunchtime, where she also undertook berthing trails.

Ironically both Stena Nordica and Finnarrow served together on Stena Line's Karlskrona-Gdyania route several years ago, where the latter vessel was also chartered out on their Harwich-Hook van Holland route.

The Finnarrow, which unusually for a Scandinavian operator, was built in Indonesia, when ordered for original owners Rederi AB Gotland. Under her current role, she is part of the Finnlines (Grimaldi Group) of operations running 14 ro-pax vessels between six countries and eleven ports throughout the Baltic and North Sea.

#HolidayWorld- Thinking of getting away on a ferry-break or cruise, however before setting sail, perhaps you should consider visiting the Belfast Telegraph Holiday World Show at the Kings Hall, Belfast next weekend (18, 19 and 20 January).

The World will be your oyster, as the three-day show will offer an extensive range of exhibitors from across the globe with all types of holidays and travel options including those from the ferry and cruise sectors.

So if you planning a cruise holiday but unsure where to start looking, visit the Holiday World Show, to ask the all those important questions and discounts on cruise holidays.

When? 2013 Belfast Holiday World Show Dates & Times

Friday 18 January (1.00 pm - 9.00 pm) Public & Trade

Saturday 19 January (11.00 am - 5.30 pm) Public & Trade

Sunday 20 January (11.00 am - 5.30 pm) Public & Trade

Admission is £6 for adults, £4 for senior citizens, £3 for students, and £12 for a family pass (2 adults and up to 4 children). Find out more about the show and its exhibitors – and get in the holiday mood visit: www.holidayworldshow.com

Following the Belfast show, the Holiday World Show moves to Dublin at the RDS Simmonscourt Pavilion on the weekend of 25, 26 and 27th January 2013.

#MarineNotice - The latest Marine Notice from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (DTTAS) draws attention to EU regulations pertaining to the liability of carriers of passengers by sea in the event of accidents.

The new EU Regulation 392/2009 came into force last week on 31 December 2012, incorporating provisions of the 2002 protocol to the Athens Convention relating to the carriage of passengers and their luggage by sea, which introduced compulsory insurance to cover passengers on ships such as passenger ferries, and covers the liability of the carrier in respect of passengers, their luggage and vehicles.

Full details of the new regulations are available in Marine Notice No 2 of 2013 via the department website HERE.

#FERRY & COACH – In support of the Government's 'The Gathering' initiatives, Irish Ferries is rolling out its own 'green carpet' in pledges worth up to EUR60,000, so to attract overseas visitors from Britain to Ireland this year.

Commenting on the pledges, Irish Ferries Head of Passenger Sales, Dermot Merrigan said "As Ireland's national sea carrier, we plan to play our part in attracting groups from our biggest overseas tourism market – Britain – and ensure that tourism providers around the country benefit to the greatest extent possible from the Government's plan".

First of the support packages, are 100 free return coach spaces that have been set aside on its Holyhead-Dublin and Pembroke Dock-Rosslare routes this year, to support groups wishing to attend the year-long Gathering of events.

Valued at up to GB£50,000 and available to eligible groups participating in officially registered events, this offer is billed as just one of a selection of 'green carpet' offers which the company plans to make available as part of a programme of support for this initiative.

The offer is for a free return carriage to Ireland for groups travelling with coaches, which includes -small mini buses to vehicles with seating for up to 30 passengers. With free coach spaces on offer for travel every week, spread across the entire year, potentially providing free transport for up to 3,000 tourists.

Merrigan added "this allocation of 100 free return coach spaces is the first shot in what we intend will be a number of 'green carpet' offers that we will roll out between now and year end."

Groups wishing to apply for the free transport and on how to make an application should visit www.irishferries.com/thegathering

#HSS FASTCRAFT – Now that the HSS Stena Explorer has completed her Dun Laoghaire-Holyhead sailings on the day before Little Christmas, it would seem to be part of human nature to only value something when it is lost and only to know how precious it is when it returns, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The HSS had operated albeit briefly "12" days of service over the festive period, in what was somewhat of a surprise move by Stena Line to re-introduce these special sailings, considering that they did not take place during the same season of Winter 2011.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, in that year, for the first time, the daily operated services on the route closed, breaking a historical link of around 200 years of continuous 'ferry' services. So in the following year, 2012 was marked as the first to operate a seasonal-only service running from Spring to September.

The reduction in sailings could not be so stark since the HSS's introduction in 1996, from the heydays of up to five daily round-trips during peak-season times. A decade later the service began to decline, with reduced frequency and longer passage times.

Despite last weekend's final sailing, the HSS reopens the route for a second year of seasonal-only summer sailings starting 22 March to early September. Once again many will welcome the sight of the HSS looming over the horizon from the Kish Lighthouse and speeding her way across Dublin Bay before entering the harbour mouth.

#FERRY NEWS- This morning Irish Ferries Dublin-Holyhead route cruiseferry Ulysses departed for Birkenhead, on the Mersey, for annual maintenance at the Cammell Laird dry-docks facility, writes Jehan Ashmore.

In place of Ulysses, the Isle of Inishmore has taken up her sailing roster, as previously reported on Afloat.ie, the ro-pax ferry had last night completed her own additional sailings to cope with increased demand over the festive season.

Isle of Inishmore which normally operates the Rosslare-Pembroke Dock route, will too be dry-docked for 15 days at the same facility, releasing Ulysses which is expected to return to service on 14 January, with the 08.50hrs sailing to Holyhead.

When the 'Inishmore' is off service, she will be joined by the central-corridor route's fast-craft Jonathan Swift, albeit in a separate dock, remaining there until 2 February.

Once work on Isle of Inishmore is completed, she is planned to vacate the dock on 30 January, which in turn will allow cruiseferry Oscar-Wilde to enter the next day, for her period of routine maintenance.

This will allow Isle of Inishmore to return to the Rosslare-Pembroke Dock route, where the Oscar Wilde is currently operating. The French routes ferry Oscar Wilde will finally return to launch the Cherbourg route on 27 February, followed by high-season sailings to Roscoff beginning in May.

#FERRY FOCUS – Two Rosslare Europort ferries, past and present are profiled in the latest issue of Ships Monthly. Normandy having served a near decade long career with Irish Ferries and Celtic Horizon as previously reported on Afloat.ie which has only been in service since late 2011 serving Celtic Link Ferries.

The former Normandy, a month ago today was beached at Alang, India to undergo scrapping, following failed plans by Singapore owners to convert her to an offshore accommodation vessel for the energy industry.

She had served several routes throughout Northern Europe since her completion in 1982 as Prinsessan Birgitta for her original owners Sessan Line, before becoming part of Stena Line and at one stage she became 'Sealink's flagship St.Nicholas.

Incidentally during Normandy's career until 2007, her younger sister launched as Kronprinsessan Victoria, now named Stena Europe, was by sheer coincidence sailing out of Rosslare and still remains on Stena Line's route serving Fishguard.

Normandy was the first of the Irish Ferries fleet to change flag, where the Irish tricolour was replaced under the Bahamas flag. This initially led to strike action by UK, French and Irish unions that led to a longer-running hostile dispute during 2005/2006 by Irish seafarers whose jobs were ultimately replaced through outsourcing of lower paid agency crews mostly from Eastern Europe.

Eventually the remaining Irish Ferries vessels, flagship Ulysses, cruiseferry Isle of Inishmore and fast-ferry Jonathan Swift also changed flags, but to Cyprus and with a change of port registry to Limassol.

As for Celtic Horizon she is on a charter contract to Celtic Link Ferries Rosslare-Cherbourg service, the 2006-built ro-pax having served Naples-Sicilian routes for Caronte & Tourist.

The introduction of Celtic Horizon brings increased space and higher standard passenger facilities compared to her predecessor Norman Voyager, which too was delivered from the same Italian shipbuilder Visentini near Venice.

At this time of the year CLF are the only operator providing Irish-French sailings until Irish Ferries re-launch cruiseferry Oscar Wilde sailings for their 2013 season starting in late February, initially to Cherbourg followed in May by additional high-season sailings to Roscoff.

#PORTS & SHIPPING REVIEW - Over the last fortnight of 2012, Jehan Ashmore has reported from the shipping scene where a £1m restoration grant is to be spent on the WWI battlecruiser HMS Caroline.

The festive season saw the return of Stena Line HSS fast-craft Dun Laoghaire-Holyhead sailings which coincided with the Swedish owned ferry giant celebrating 50 years in service.

Across Dublin Bay rivals Irish Ferries added capacity to cope with expected demand by transferring Isle of Inishmore from St. Georges Channel service and onto the Dublin-Holyhead route.

Also running seasonal services to from Dublin Port was the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company whose ro-pax Ben-My-Chree provided two weekend round trips either side of the Christmas festivities.

One of the famous 'ferry cross the Mersey' river ferries linking Liverpool to the Wirral Peninsula is to be withdrawn in January 2013 by operator Mersey Ferries due to reduced traffic and heavy losses.

On a more positive note, albeit on other side of the Irish Sea, there are proposals to start a new cross-border car-ferry service across Carlingford Lough between Greenore, Co. Louth and Greencastle Co. Down.

#FERRY DISRUPTION – Due to adverse weather conditions at sea, 'all' of Irish Ferries fast-craft sailings on the Dublin-Holyhead route operated by the Jonathan Swift are cancelled for tomorrow (Sunday 30 December).

Passenger booked on the cancelled 'Swift' fast-craft sailings will be transferred to alternative cruiseferry sailings served by Ulysses and Isle of Inishmore.

To keep up to date with the latest sailing schedule plus pre-recorded contact service and further information click HERE or by contacting 0818300400 in Ireland / 08717300400 in the UK. In addition check-in times are also given, which vary depending on what mode of transport is been used.

For details on other ferry operators with latest sailing information visit: www.aaireland.ie/AA/AA-Roadwatch/Ferry.aspx

#ISLE OF MAN FERRY – This weekend will see the final round-trip of seasonal Douglas-Dublin sailings operated by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company.

The ro-pax ferry Ben-My-Chree is scheduled to depart Douglas tomorrow evening at 19.30hrs with an arrival in Dublin Port on (Sunday30 December) just after midnight at 00.15hrs.

The ferry will make her return departure to the Isle of Man, departing Dublin Ferryport at 01.00hrs with an arrival at the Manx capital scheduled for 05.45hrs.

For sailing schedules including Manx-UK routes, click HERE.