#Overhauls – Ulysses, flagship of Irish Ferries returned to Dublin-Holyhead service yesterday while their high speed craft (HSC) Jonathan Swift went for annual overhaul at Cammell Laird, Birkenhead on Merseyside, writes Jehan Ashmore.

On foot of Ulysses repositioning voyage from A&P Falmouth, Cornwall back to Dublin (see, report on P&O HGV crossings) this saw the 800 passenger/200 car capacity 'Swift' make a departure bound for the shipyard and marine engineering facility.  

Following P&O Ferries recent announcement to confirm the Larne-Troon ‘seasonal route’ would not reopen in 2016, this further compounds Irish Ferries position as the sole operator of a year-round fast-ferry craft on Irish Sea 'cross channels' routes between Ireland and the UK.

Despite P&O's axeing of the Northern Ireland-Scotland connection, the company continues operating the year-round Larne-Cairnryan link provided by two ropax sisters in competition with route rivals, Stena Line. Likewise this operator on the North Channel runs a service between Belfast and Cairnryan and served by a pair of ‘Superfast’ sisters.

It is more than a year ago when Stena withdrew the Highspeed Sea-Service (HSS) craft Stena Explorer on the Dun Laoghaire-Holyhead route in September 2014. This led to Stena consolidate existing services on the Dublin-Holyhead route and by introducing Stena Superfast X in March 2015 alongside Stena Adventurer.

Competing on the central corridor, Irish Ferries Jonathan Swift built by Austal in Australia is an Auto-Express 86m catamaran christened by Ceclia Larkin in 1999. The craft is to remain for overhaul work at the Birkenhead facility until 28th January. This leaves the Dublin–Holyhead route in the hands of route regulars, Ulysses and ropax Epsilon during this slack time of the year.

Since providing capacity over the festive season and refit cover, Isle of Inishmore is to depart Dublin Port tonight and also bound for a Birkenhead overhaul. On completion she is return to normal Rosslare-Pembroke duties currently covered by Oscar Wilde. 

Also berthed at Cammell Laird's wet basin is the only other Irish Sea fast-ferry, the 820 passenger /200 car Manannan, albeit this craft operates the ‘seasonal-only’ UK-Manx link, Liverpool-Douglas for the Isle of Man Steam Packet. The InCat built 96m catamaran from Tasmania dating to 1998, also runs on other Steam Packet routes during busy spells and on summer months.