#HSStoOffice – It is a struggle for businesses in Istanbul to find new space on which to build their premises and according to the Daily Sabah, one firm near Turkey's largest city has come up with a novel solution, a floating office.

A high-speed ferry, which once served passengers sailing between Britain and Ireland, is being turned into an office by its new Turkish owner, as previously speculated in a report that featured on Afloat.ie

Turkish Karadeniz (Black Sea) Holding bought the One World Karadeniz, formerly known as the HSS Stena Explorer from the Welsh port of Holyhead earlier this year. Afloat adds, the delivery voyage took place at the beginning of November.

For more details, the newspaper reports of the former Dun Laoghaire-Holyhead ferry sale to the Turkish Karadeniz group that also operates a fleet of floating energy powerships. The Stena Explorer had been laid-up in Anglesey since September 2014.

Earlier this year in February, following widespread media speculation, Stena confirmed the withdrawal of the HSS service from the historic route to Holyhead. In addition Stena were to consolidate existing operations from neighbouring Dublin Port to the Welsh port with introduction of conventional tonnage, Stena Superfast X.

In March, the Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company received seven expressions of interest following an invite by the harbour authority to find a suitable operator to provide a seasonal-only ferry service to Holyhead from 2016.

#AddedCapacity - Added sailing capacity on Irish Ferries Dublin-Holyhead route during the Christmas and New Year period will be introduced to faciliate thousands of passengers looking to travel over the busy season.

The operator is to transfer its cruise ferry, Oscar Wilde from its Rosslare – Cherbourg route into service out of Dublin Port where it will operate alongside the fast ferry Dublin Swift and cruise ferry Ulysses.

On the southern corridor, Irish Ferries' cruise ferry Isle of Inishmore will continue to operate its service as normal between Rosslare and Pembroke.

Pointing to the fact that Christmas is normally their busiest time of the year, Irish Ferries head of passenger sales, Dermot Merrigan said “Our message to our passengers preparing to drive home this Christmas with gifts for family and loved ones is to bring the gifts you wish to give, not just those you can carry - it all goes free on the ferry".

#StaffCuts – Large ferry operator, Stena Line looks set to introduce drastic pay cuts for new staff and dozens of its current temporary workers.

And it's those on 'zero-hour' contracts which are set to feel the brunt of the cuts, with hourly pay to plummet from £8.41 to £7.67 - dropping by almost 9%.

That could affect around 80 ship workers here, and others across the UK as a whole. And some new permanent roles, starting in January 2016, are being hit with cuts of up to 24%.

The details have been revealed in a pay cut proposal from the national RMT union, seen by the Belfast Telegraph which has more details by clicking here.

#HSStoOffice? - Former HSS Stena Explorer now remamed One World Karadeniz following sale to Turkish owners is understood to have arrived at Yalova yesterday marking the end of almost a three week long delivery voyage, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The last highspeed-ferry to serve the Dun Laoghaire-Holyhead route until withdrawn in September 2014, departed her Welsh homeport where she had been idle until 1 November. On that day she began her delivery voyage to the Turkish port under tow of tug/supply vessel Bluster. She was reported here on Afloat while off Spain and subsequently transiting the Strait of Gibraltar.

According to the current issue of Ships Monthly magazine, the sole surviving HSS 1500 class vehicle carrying catamaran craft may be destined for a new role in Turkey as a static office berthed in Istanbul.

Previously on Afloat.ie it was speculated that the almost 20,000 tonnes fast-ferry craft could be converted into a floating hotel (like old ferries in Scandinavia), though that was before it was known that the 'Explorer' had been sold to Turkish owners.

Among the diverse business interests of the owners understood to be behind One World Karadeniz, the portfolio includes real estate and energy involving a fleet of powerships. 

So it will be intriguing to see what outcome is planned for the former 1,500 passenger fast-ferry and will that mean office workers could park their cars onboard!

At 40m wide the generous beam of the HSS could prove to be a most interesting space even if occupied for office purposes which these days are increasingly more open-planned and colouful (i.e. information technology firms). If so this is where the design of the HSS could also prove ideal for those in creative-led firms.

She has a single passenger deck divided into three open-planned areas, where the main section amidships has very large windows that run alongside both sides of the 126m long Finnish built craft. 

In the original configuration of the Stena Explorer when launched on the Ireland-Wales route in 1996, she featured a McDonalds outlet. This fast-food faciity was located on a raised central section.  Perhaps, this catering area could be uses as a canteen?

Located at the bow is the forward lounge area that included a restaurent, sports themed bar and club lounge and equally an impressive floor to ceiling window affording panormaic views.Could this area pose as the ideal head office? 

Towards the stern is the gift and shopping outlet, tourism information area and reception desk, though seating near these areas are far more restrictive to the openess of the adjoining main lounge.

At the stern is where all the passengers embarked and disembarked given the HSS was a stern-only orientated craft that applied also for the vehicle deck to transport cars, vans and large trucks. 

So watch this space!

Fastferry footnote: A model of the HSS Stena Explorer is on display in Dun Laoghaire at the National Maritime Museum of Ireland.

To some the model may be familiar given that it originally belonged to Stena Line who had the high-speed craft located in the foyer of the ferry terminal in Dun Laoghaire.

#ORCAoceanWatch - A marine mammal conservation initiative that took place in the summer, supported by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company, proved a huge success in its first year.

The Steam Packet Company was one of 13 ferry, cruise, freight and naval organisations which assisted the inaugural ORCA OceanWatchWeek (previously reported on Afloat.ie) by welcoming volunteers on board to conduct surveys during sailings.

In July and August, volunteer marine mammal surveyors travelled on Ben-My-Chree to record sightings of marine mammals as they sailed across the Irish Sea between Douglas and Heysham.

The team enjoyed excellent weather conditions for surveying and spotted a minke whale and a grey seal during one crossing.
ORCA Community Wildlife Officer Anna Bunney said: ‘ORCA OceanWatch 2015 was a fantastic success; 16 different whales, dolphins and porpoises (collectively known as cetaceans) were sighted in seven European sea regions, which is an outstanding result. This provided ORCA with a snapshot of the cetaceans that can be sighted right on our doorstep, as well as highlighting the need for their conservation.

‘We’d like to thank the Steam Packet Company for its participation and support in the inaugural year of ORCA OceanWatch. We’re all extremely excited for ORCA OceanWatch 2016.’

Steam Packet Company Chief Executive Mark Woodward added: ‘We have supported surveys of marine life in the Irish Sea for many years, and were pleased to play our part in the ORCA OceanWatch initiative.

‘Protection of our marine environment is vital, and conducting regular surveys like these provide important information to help conserve and protect marine mammals.’

Find out more at: www.orcaweb.org.uk

#FoyleClosure - The Lough Foyle Ferry Company has sold their ferry reports the Derry Journal. The service ceased with immediate effect has been described as “a serious blow for the area”.

The directors of the company confirmed to the ‘Journal’ the vessel has been sold to Frazer Ferries in Carlingford (as previously reported on Afloat.ie for a new ferry link) and they will not be operating the Greencastle to Magilligan service in the future.

The news is a blow to the future of the service and there have now been calls for a new operator to be put in place as soon as possible, with one councillor stating it would be an “absolute scandal” if it was lost to the area.

It is understood Donegal County Council and Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council have been informed the company will not be seeking to extend their contract after March 31st, 2016. As the service ended for the winter season on October 4th, it will not be reinstated before then.

The move has led to fears for the future of the service and calls for the two Councils to enter talks immediately to ensure it is not lost.

Donegal County Council told the ‘Journal’ they are aware of the matter and “will be considering options available to us in due course.”

The Foyle Ferry has carried two and a half million passengers since it began in 2002.

For much more the Journal has a report here.

Afloat adds that the ferry sold is the Foyle Venture, built in 1978 and with a capacity for 300 passengers and 44 cars.

#StenaDublin20th - On this day 20 years ago, Stena Line began operating an inaugural sailing of its flagship on the Dublin-Holyhead route, writes The Irish Independent.

The anniversary was celebrated in Dublin Port today with model and presenter Vogue Williams posing for photos on the company's Superfast X ship.

"The demand for this route has grown significantly since November 1995 and we now travel from Dublin to Holyhead and back four times daily," said Orla Noonan, Head of Travel at Stena Line Ireland.

20 isn't the only number circulated in a press release marking the occasion. In two decades, Stena has operated 39,000 sailings, carrying 8.9 million people on the route. For more click here.

Afloat adds that another significant '20' was marked this day last week as the operator also celebrated two decades of ferry services out of Belfast Port.

#ThirdFreightFerry - Seatruck Ferries have confirmed to Afloat.ie as to the identity of the third vessel to be introduced on the Dublin – Liverpool route. She is the Clipper Ranger which is scheduled to take up service early next week, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The introduction of this third freight-ferry as previously reported is to bring additional midweek departures on much needed peak capacity sailings. The Ireland-England route according to Seatruck is attracting increasing support from unaccompanied traffic.

Clipper Ranger is a 'R' class freight-ferry with capacity for 65 units and 1,057 lane metres. She is to operate six sailings mid-week (three in each direction).

The move to add Clipper Ranger is in direct response to the demand and feedback from freight customers changing needs of the Irish market. Driver shortages are causing operators to reassess their traditional accompanied method.

She will join the route’s FSG ‘Heysham-max’ class sisters Seatruck Progress and Seatruck Power, each with 150 units and 2,166 lane metres. Together the trio of freight ferries will operate 30 departures each week.

For more including news on the Dublin-Heysham route, click to the previous report.

#StenaBelfast20th - This year marks twenty years since Stena Line took up its ferry services in Belfast and 2015 is to be the operators busiest year to date for car and freight numbers.

In the two decades since it moved to Belfast on this day in 1995, Stena Line has expanded its services significantly. Currently the company employs over 900 staff, transports 1.4 million passengers, 318 000 cars and almost 500 000 freight units annually.

When the ferry firm established its Belfast operation on 12th November 1995, it operated three ferries to one port in Scotland. (See recent ferry award for Belfast-Cairnryan). Today, that service has expanded to seven vessels operating year round services to Cairnryan, Birkenhead (Liverpool) and Heysham with a mix of freight and leisure traffic.

Stena Line has delivered some impressive numbers on its Belfast services over the last two decades including transporting 26 million passengers, 5.5 million cars and over 4 million freight units. But as Route Manager (Irish Sea North) Paul Grant states, behind the numbers it’s the quality and reliability of the service that has been the hallmark of Stena Line’s successful Belfast operation, commenting: “The opportunity to develop a significant presence in Belfast was always going to be based on how well we developed our customer offering. Today our modern fleet offers a range of quality facilities have helped to set the standard for travel on the Irish Sea including Spa facilities, exclusive Plus lounges, family suites and dedicated Freight Driver lounges. When these facilities are back up by award winning crews and market leading punctuality and reliability figures, the next two decades look equally as exciting.”

The company has also taken a positive view of the development of the local economy over the last two decades. Hans Nilsson, Stena Line’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) said: ”Stena Line and the Stena Group are long term supporters of Belfast. Over the last two decades alone, working in partnership with Belfast Harbour, we have invested over £330 million in establishing and developing our services to and from Belfast. In fact this week we will have an eighth Stena vessel in Belfast with the 117 000 ton ice-breaker series Stena Arctica undergoing a major refit at Harland & Wolff, further testimony of support for and confidence in the local Northern Ireland economy.”

A number of notable milestones over the last two decades in Stena Line's Irish Sea North have including the construction of a new £35 million VT4 terminal in Belfast in 2008. Three years later in 2011 the company established a new port and terminal facility at Loch Ryan Port (Cairnryan) adding two award winning Superfast vessels. In the same year it also acquired the Belfast-Liverpool/Heysham routes from DFDS.

#ScottishFerryAward- The best ferry operator award went to Stena Line at the Scottish Passenger Agents’ Association Travel Awards (SPAA) 2015, reports The Stornaway Gazette.

The ferry firm is the market leader on the Irish Sea, carrying approximately three million passengers on its UK-Ireland routes each year, more than its rival ferry operators combined.

SPAA, the world’s oldest travel organisation, holds the awards annually to recognise excellence in Scotland’s travel industry and Stena Line has received the best ferry operator accolade a number of times.

For more click the link to the regional newspaper here.