Irish Ferries made history for the first time with a call to Fishguard as the Isle of Innisfree carried out berthing trials yesterday and called again today to the South Wales port in advance of a ‘potential’ new temporary route to Dublin, writes Jehan Ashmore.
Following discussions between Irish Ferries and the port, which is owned by Stena Line, and if such trials prove successful, this could see the 1,140 passenger/600 car capacity Isle of Innisfree enter service. This would offer customers a second service added on the Fishguard-Dublin route, as almost a week ago Stena Line established a new alternative route, albeit temporary.
Afloat has sought a comment from Irish Ferries to confirm if and when the alternative Ireland-Wales route is to commence operations before the weekend, in addition to if all services will be offered, as Stena initially began exclusively for freight but now caters to passengers.
Should Irish Ferries start the service with the Isle of Innisfree, which, according to local media, marked the company's first call to the port, from where Afloat has deduced at least, would involve a sailing to arrive in Dublin at 22:30 and a return from the capital at 09:30. As for Stena's sailings, they take 6 hours, 30 minutes, and overnight crossings take an hour longer. For full sailing schedule details, see links from Afloat's 'Irish Sea' Ferry Guide.
The route is operated by the 1,500 passenger/500 car capacity Stena Adventurer, which had served Dublin-Holyhead until storm Darragh's damage at the ferry terminal in Holyhead, which remains closed with all sailings cancelled to a mid-January (at the earliest) reopening of the port. The development at Fishguard is much needed to alleviate the backlog of freight coupled with the increasing number of passengers and those diverted expected to be travelling home or visiting Ireland in time for Christmas.
Also from the South Wales port is operated the ropax Stena Nordica to Rosslare, with just 450 passengers and 300 cars, representing the smallest capacity on the company’s Irish Sea fleet, but in a query from Alfoat, the company at the moment is not adding additional capacity.
Whereas Irish Ferries recently boosted much-needed freight capacity by 50% on Rosslare-Pembroke by deploying the 2,080 passenger/450-car-carrying James Joyce from its former Dublin-Holyhead role. This allowed the Isle of Innisfree to leave the southern corridor route on Saturday to anchor offshore before it called to Dublin Bay on Tuesday but was off again yesterday as Afloat tracked to Fishguard to carry out those berthing trials yesterday afternoon.
Before Isle of Innisfree made its second call to the port this afternoon, it waited offshore for the departure of Stena Nordica’s sailing across the St. George's Channel. Its competitor ferry, James Joyce, albeit chartered, is no stranger on the Pembroke route, having made its debut for Irish Ferries last year, when previously named Oscar Wilde.
It was renamed in advance of ‘Bloomsday’ when alongside the Irish port from where it returned on the route until transferred to Dublin-based routes to Holyhead and Cherbourg.
