Dun Laoghaire Harbour today marked the end of the cruise ship season at the south Dublin Bay port, and in this same month of a decade ago, the final ever car ferry sailing departed for Holyhead, Wales, writes Jehan Ashmore.
Due to this morning’s unfavourable weather, cruise caller Seven Seas Splendor from Belfast did not arrive off Dun Laoghaire as scheduled for anchorage. Arising from the cancellation, the ship instead is making a leisurely overnight passage on the Irish Sea before its call aptly to Holyhead, with an arrival at dawn tomorrow.
As on the matter of time, it was on the 9th September, 2014, when Stena Line’s High-speed Sea Service (HSS) vehicle carrying catamaran ferry HSS Stena Explorer was observed making its last departure from Dun Laoghaire (see montage below). That morning crossing in Autumn on the historic Irish Sea link to Holy Island off Anglesey (having reported for Ships Monthly, June 2015 issue), took place before Stena Line in February that same year, officially announced the 'permanent' closure of the route with the withdrawal of HSS Stena Explorer, as such it never resumed the service.
However, the mainstream media have often been confused by misreporting that the Dun Laoghaire-Holyhead route closed in 2015. But one thing is certain, the demise of the route of 170 years marked an end of era, as millions of passengers have personal stories, be it of wartime disruption, to some of the delegation of the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921 travelling through the Irish harbour to London, along with the thousands affected by mass emigration. In addition to recent decades, an increase in more leisure time made available for those to make holidays to Britain and beyond.
The 2015 Ships Monthly news feature lamenting the end of the HSS service, a Stena HSS gift box, a brochure of the now defunct Dun Laoghaire Hbr Co with a photo of the HSS's arrival in March 1996
The Ireland-Wales route, dating to 1835 was established by the City of Dublin Steam Packet Company beginning with its passenger service. By 1848, a subsidiary of the Chester & Holyhead Railway Company provided for the first time, a direct combined rail and ship passenger service between Kingstown (Dun Laoghaire) and London, connecting the capitals on both sides of the Irish Sea.
World's largest fast-ferry
HSS Stena Explorer (19,638 gross tons) built in Rauma, Finland and costing €65m entered service in 1996, as the world’s largest multi-purpose fast ferry, which was deployed on the historic Ireland-Wales route, replacing the Stena Adventurer/Hibernia, better known as Sealink/British Rail’s one-time St. Columba. Likewise of the HSS, the conventional ferry served for almost 20 years.
The HSS Stena Explorer was also the first of a trio of the HSS 1500 series, the figure reflecting its passenger capacity, coincided also with the 'Dun Laoghaire 1500' event to mark celebrating the origins of the port town. The HSS also took 375 cars, coaches, along notably with the ability to carry large freight trucks totaling 50. Whereas the previous succession of ‘Lynx’ fast-craft could not take but could handle vans and motorhomes.
At up to 40 knots, the HSS Stena Explorer, powered by gas-turbine engines, based on the aviation industry, drove four KaMeWa water jets to deliver this top speed, which was a game changer on the Irish Sea’s central corridor route. Crossings took a mere 99 minutes, drastically reducing the 3 hours 30 minutes of conventional ferries. In addition to leaving in its wake of all the generations of ‘mail-boats’ and steamers (notably with the tragic loss of RMS Leinster in WW1) that served on the 52 nautical mile route.
In stark contrast to steamers, passengers on the futuristic looking HSS had in essence just one ‘open plan’ deck, but it offered an area around the size of a football pitch, with massive windows giving panoramic views and affording light. A novel feature then was the first fast-food outlet on the Irish Sea, in addition to the usually expected facilities.
All of these were located in the deck’s raised central area, with the majority of seating adjacent to the large lattice structured windows and at the impressive giant window at the bow, which heightened the passenger experience. This came to the fore when particularly entering the harbour mouth in Dun Laoghaire with its embracing granite built arms welcoming those back and to the ‘Emerald’ Isle.
The HSS concept of high speed, comfort, and service, did prove a success, as at its peak, HSS Stena Explorer achieved more than 1.7 million passengers in 2008. Four year later, the route reached a total of 15 million passengers and 3 million vehicles, although by that stage the service ceased to be profitable due to factors, starting with the longer-term abolition of EU Duty-Free in 1999 and reasons further outlined below.
Horsepower On the Sea
Among the highlights of the HSS Stena Explorer coincided on its 10th anniversary, when the 100,000 horsepower four water-jet propelled fast-ferry carried back home the racehorse ‘Numbersixvalverde’, the Irish winner of the 2006 Aintree Grand National.
In the course of the HSS Stena Explorer’s career, a once-off charter occurred in 2012 that did not involve passengers, but in the sole-role of carrying freight. This saw 15 trucks transport stage equipment following the US star singer Lady Gaga performance at the rugby venue of Aviva (Lansdowne Road) Stadium near central Dublin. From where the truck cavalcade headed to Dun Laoghaire to board the HSS and onward on the UK land-bridge as the tour's next stage stop was held in the Dutch city of Amsterdam.
Declining traffic volumes
Such high-speed sea services, however, would ironically and ultimately be its demise, as in the latter part of the HSS’s career, it became increasingly expensive to operate with rising fuel costs. Added to that, declining traffic figures are largely attributed to competition faced from low-cost air carrier fares.
Arising from the loss-making route led its Swedish owners to make attempts to stave off further losses by increasing the sailing time from 99 minutes to 2 hours, and reducing sailing frequency. In 2012 there was just one round trip and only operating on a seasonal basis. This also did not favour the service as it prevented day 'foot' trippers. By 2014, less than 200,000 passengers were carried, a dramatic drop of over 90 per cent.
So the announcement by Stena in February 2015 came as no surprise, however later in the same month, the then Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company invited operators to submit expressions of interest to reopen the seasonal service, of which Afloat sought as to the level of response. In all seven operators had responded and as time revealed this never arose.
In advance of the closure, Stena, having already opened a Dublin-Holyhead route in 1995, concentrated all its operations in the Irish capital. Initially this route began only in a freight mode, using the former Dover-Calais, ropax, Stena Traveller. The same ship as Patria Seaways serves now for another Scandinavian rival operator, the Danish-based DFDS, on their Europe-African link between Spain and Morocco, having earlier this year acquired the operator FRS Iberia/ Maroc.
Still to the present day, a few road signs and along the coast of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown remain relating to the Stena HSS era. As such, they mark a final chapter of this important Irish Sea ferry route. But it would be fitting if a plaque be commissioned at the former custom built HSS ferry terminal in Dun Laoghaire to highlight and celebrate this part of our ‘valued’ maritime heritage.
