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Stena Line’s latest addition to its expanding Irish Sea ferry fleet, Stena Vision, has departed a shipyard in Gdansk, Poland following a major refit investment programme and is bound for Rosslare Europort.

The 39,178 gross tonnage cruise ferry for the Ireland-France route as previously reported is due to go into service on the Rosslare-Cherbourg route on 30th June.

Stena Vision is the company’s additional cruise ferry on the Rosslare to Cherbourg service, where it will operate alongside the Stena Horizon. The second ship will increase service frequency on the route to six departure days providing 12 sailings per week, the most frequent ferry service between Ireland and the European Continent.

Paul Grant, Trade Director Stena Line said: “We are delighted to confirm that Stena Vision has now started on its journey to Rosslare. The ship has undergone a major refit investment and we are in the process of finalising last minute preparations in advance of commencing services on Rosslare-Cherbourg on 30th June, just in time for the peak summer holiday period.”

Stena Vision   – The 39,178 gross tonnage cruise ferry for the Ireland-France route as previously reported is due to go into service on the Rosslare-Cherbourg route on 30th JuneStena Vision – The 39,178 gross tonnage cruise ferry for the Ireland-France route is due to go into service on the Rosslare-Cherbourg route on 30th June

The addition of Stena Vision to the Ireland-France route, will provide Stena Line with a significant increase in capacity operating alongside Stena Horizon. Stena Vision will have space for 1,300 passengers and 485 passenger cabins, more than any other ferry currently sailing from Ireland. It will offer a wide selection of accommodation ranging from standard cabins to deluxe suites and also offers 42 pet friendly cabins.

Paul Grant added: “The introduction of Stena Vision is also welcome news for the freight sector, which has seen demand grow for direct services to France for hauliers since Brexit. Stena Vision will also increase driver accompanied capacity with more cabin space for freight drivers.”

Stena Line routes including, combined passenger and freight services from Belfast to Cairnryan and Liverpool, Dublin to Holyhead, and Rosslare to Fishguard routes. In addition to a dedicated freight only route from Belfast to Heysham with a total of up to 238 weekly sailing options between Britain and Ireland.

Published in Stena Line

Marine Wildlife Around Ireland One of the greatest memories of any day spent boating around the Irish coast is an encounter with marine wildlife.  It's a thrill for young and old to witness seabirds, seals, dolphins and whales right there in their own habitat. As boaters fortunate enough to have experienced it will testify even spotting a distant dorsal fin can be the highlight of any day afloat.  Was that a porpoise? Was it a whale? No matter how brief the glimpse it's a privilege to share the seas with Irish marine wildlife.

Thanks to the location of our beautiful little island, perched in the North Atlantic Ocean there appears to be no shortage of marine life to observe.

From whales to dolphins, seals, sharks and other ocean animals this page documents the most interesting accounts of marine wildlife around our shores. We're keen to receive your observations, your photos, links and youtube clips.

Boaters have a unique perspective and all those who go afloat, from inshore kayaking to offshore yacht racing that what they encounter can be of real value to specialist organisations such as the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) who compile a list of sightings and strandings. The IWDG knowledge base has increased over the past 21 years thanks in part at least to the observations of sailors, anglers, kayakers and boaters.

Thanks to the IWDG work we now know we share the seas with dozens of species who also call Ireland home. Here's the current list: Atlantic white-sided dolphin, beluga whale, blue whale, bottlenose dolphin, common dolphin, Cuvier's beaked whale, false killer whale, fin whale, Gervais' beaked whale, harbour porpoise, humpback whale, killer whale, minke whale, northern bottlenose whale, northern right whale, pilot whale, pygmy sperm whale, Risso's dolphin, sei whale, Sowerby's beaked whale, sperm whale, striped dolphin, True's beaked whale and white-beaked dolphin.

But as impressive as the species list is the IWDG believe there are still gaps in our knowledge. Next time you are out on the ocean waves keep a sharp look out!