ICG's charter of Epsilon for Irish Ferries which for almost a decade operated Dublin-Holyhead and between the Irish capital and Cherbourg, France, is to complete its final sailing tomorrow, writes Jehan Ashmore.
The 165 freight trailer unit / 500 passenger capacity ropax built by Italian shipyard Visentini in 2011, departed Dublin Port last night. At time of writing, today 12 noon, the vessel passed Wolff Rock Lighthouse (see unrelated CLdN story) off the English coast, at Land’s End in Cornwall.
Epsilon which had been on routine Dublin-Holyhead duties, is deployed to cover the Dublin-Cherbourg route as mainstay, cruise-ferry W.B. Yeats, this week went to Harland & Wolff, Belfast for annual dry-docking, leaving Ulysses to maintain the Irish Sea route. The ropax over the years, asides the Ireland-Wales link operated at weekends the Irish capital-continental connection and mainly during the winter.
The ropax registered in Bari, on the Adriatic Sea, first entered service for Irish Ferries in December, 2013, then named Cartour Epsilon, having operated to Sicily for Italian owner, Cartour & Touriste (C&T). The vessel was renamed and reflagged to Cyprus, operates a no-frills economy service as the vessel, been of a ropax design is more freight-orientated with limited facilities for motorist-passengers.
Due to the current adverse weather, according to Irish Ferries sailing updates, tonight’s return crossing at 18:30hrs from Cherbourg to Dublin will be delayed by up to 5.5 hours. The Epsilon is to arrive in Dublin tomorrow late afternoon, and so complete its career with the Irish operator.
Replacement for the Epsilon on the Ireland-Wales and France routes will be another ropax, P&O Ferries 125 trailer unit/225 passenger Norbay (see Holyhead entry) which is to make its maiden Dublin-Cherbourg sailing this evening, departing at 1830hrs and arrive in Cherbourg the next day at 1430hrs. The French port has a connection with P&O, among them, that they were the first ferry company to operate the direct route to the Irish capital, which in 2003-2004 was run by ropax European Ambassador, currently Stena Nordica on the Swedish operator’s Rosslare-Fishguard route.
As Afloat previously reported, P&O have time-chartered the 1992 built Norbay to ICG for six months Irish Ferries operations and should they require, there is an option to extend the charter. Likewise of Epsilon, the ropax will be offering a no-frills economy service compared to the cruise-ferry W.B. Yeats. Irish Continental Group (ICG)’s charter of Norbay however, given the timeframe is a short-term measure, until the Dublin-headquartered Group can secure another more suitable vessel, noting Epsilon with its larger capacity for freight and passengers.
Epsilon in more recent years was owned by Euroafrica Shipping Lines, however the ropax is understood to be heading for Scandinavia where the company have links with Unity Line of Poland, having acquired the ropax.
The ropax is expected to join the Polish company’s fleet. Of the 7 strong fleet, Unity Line owns four ferries, Polonia, Skania, Wolin and Gryf, whereas three belong to Euroafrica, the Copernicus, Galileusz and Jan Śniadecki.
The combined fleet run on two routes across the southern Baltic, Świnoujście - Ystad (Sweden) and Świnoujście – Trelleborg (Germany).
