Irish Ferries cruise ferry Ulysses, now in its 25th year in service, recently returned from a routine annual overhaul at Harland & Wolff Belfast, which led fleetmate James Joyce to follow suit to the shipyard, writes Jehan Ashmore.
Both cruise ferries operate the Dublin-Holyhead route; however, with James Joyce receiving its turn for planned maintenance at the Navantia UK-owned facility. Its temporary replacement is the ropax Isle of Inisheer, which took over its roster yesterday.
With the ongoing single-berth restriction at Holyhead, Irish Ferries continues to share the Stena Line berth at the port, which has led to a revised sailing schedule by both operators but does lead on occasion to delays at the North Wales port, which has yet to 'fully' reopen. In addition unfavourable weather has contributed to repairing a damaged berth.
Before Ulysses' return, James Joyce also operated sailings on the last two weekends from the capital but instead to Cherbourg, while the Ireland-France route’s main ferry, W.B. Yeats, stood in on the Wales route.
With the resumption of Ulysses on the Ireland-Wales route, the W.B. Yeats resumed its continental connection from Dublin, with the cruise ferry due to arrive at the Normandy port early this afternoon.
Across the English Channel at the A&P Falmouth shipyard, Cornwall, where the Oscar Wilde had dry-docked but has also recently returned to Dover-Calais duties. The short-sea link had been in the sole operation of the route's second cruise ferry, Isle of Inishmore.
Also this morning, Oscar Wilde was tracked underway departing Calais, while along the north France coast at Dunkerque East, the Isle of Inishmore is docked at the Damen Shiprepair Dunkerque facility but is awaiting to enter a dry dock.
On the southern Irish Sea, the Isle of Innisfree, also a caller to the French yard having completed its dry-docking in early December, plies the Rosslare-Pembroke Dock route.
This leaves the final member of the eight-ferry fleet, the high-speed craft Dublin Swift, which since September continues to layover the winter at Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, having concluded the seasonal service on the Holyhead route
