Afloat tracked Irish Ferries high-speed craft (HSC) Dublin Swift to Holyhead on Friday, having departed last month from Belfast Harbour on the repositioning voyage to north Wales, writes Jehan Ashmore.
The HSC which had been at Harland & Wolff for annual dry-docking, completed the Irish Sea passage in four hours, in preparation for this year’s return to seasonal service on the Dublin-Holyhead route
Dublin Swift as previously reported, is set to sail from its namesake port this Friday, 10 March, one week prior to the busy St. Patrick’s Day bank holiday weekend with capacity available for 900 passengers and 200 cars.
The high-speed sailings which also handle 16 lorries, takes just over 2 hours on the Ireland-Wales route. Whereas conventional cruiseferry crossings by Ulysses and by the more freight oriented (ropax) vessel Epsilon take 3 hours 15 minutes.
Dover-Calais disruption
Also on Friday is when an engine-room fire on board Isle of Innisfree took place and was contained with no injury to crew nor passengers having disembarked safely at Calais.
The incident however led to cancelled sailings which currently remains in place on the Irish Ferries UK ‘landbridge’ service on the Dover-Calais route.
Other sailings, however are been maintained, albeit by just one ferry, the Isle of Inishmore, though the 'Innisfree' is set to return to service on Wednesday, 8 March.
This reduction in sailing frequency has also been compounded as a third route ferry, Isle of Inisheer is also off-service due to dry-docking at Harland & Wolff, Belfast.
Afloat also notes that according to the operator's sailing updates, the 'Inisheer' is listed for sailings on Thursday, 9 March, however on that day, the company regrets that all sailings have been cancelled due to technical reasons. Customers will however be accommodated on other sailings.
Sailings take 1 hour 30 minutes on the service which Irish Ferries began in July, 2021.
For the latest sailing updates on the Strait of Dover route, along with Ireland-Wales routes and connecting Ireland-France, they can be consulted here.
In addition to the link above is a 24hr pre-recorded telephone information service.
