Ferry Redevelopment: Senator Calls for Dun Laoghaire Ferry Link to Be Restored With Holyhead

10th June 2017

#CallForFerry – President Higgins recently launched the Dun Laoghaire Harbour Bicentenary celebrations, however no ferry service remains with Holyhead from where the Welsh port has been connected with for the best part of 200 years, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The historic Ireland-Wales passenger link can be traced as far back to 1835. Services began with railway-company operated steam packets, then it was the 'mail' boats that led to car-ferries.

Dun Laoghaire Harbour under the National Ports Policy is designated as a ‘Regional Port of Significance’, however there has not been a seasonal-ferry service since Stena Line withdrew HSS fast-ferry operations in September 2014. This led to Stena consolidating on existing operations out of Dublin Port by also running to Holyhead, while in efforts to offset this cruiseships have been encouraged to call to Dun Laoghaire. This is against the backdrop of the contoversial €18m cruise-berth that was granted planning permission but is now subject to a judicial review.

In the run-up to last week’s Bicentenary, Independent senator, Victor Boyhan, a former Director of the Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company (DLHC), called for a renewed effort to re-establish the ferry service. He adding its closure had “financially devastated” the harbour.

The Senator commenting to Dun Laoghaire Gazette added his call on Minister for Transport, Shane Ross, to establish a working group with DLHC, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council and Failte Ireland to explore all possibilities in the restoration of the ferry service.

Afloat adds thats Stena's sailing schedule began in April. So for a third successive year and in this Bicentenary year Dun Laoghaire again does not have a summer link with the UK port. With the background of Brexit, could the return of Duty-Free assist in reviving the Holyhead service?

Before the UK's referendum on leaving or remaining the EU, it was in the previous year of 2015 that the Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company through a tendering process invited expressions of interest from potential operators to provide a seasonal-only service to Holyhead. Afloat requested from DLHC as to the level of response in which they received seven interested operators.

Afloat also sought clarification with DLHC on prospects of a ferry service returning in 2016, however last year Stena dismantled HSS craft related berthing infrastructure at the Ferry Teminal on St. Michaels Pier. The delays caused by the work were a setback, however DLHC cited then that the harbour facilities would only become available for use by a potential new ferry operator from 2017.

Currently, the harbour company have only one commercial client. This is albeit in the form of the domestic excursion operator Dublin Bay Cruises.

Up until Stena's closure, the revolutionary high-speed service HSS Stena Explorer had sped across the Irish Sea for almost two decades, having replaced conventional car ferry Stena Adventurer. Since 2011 the route became seasonal-only due to increasingly high-fuel costs that was a contributory decision to withdrawing the service.

Ferry Terminal Redevelopment

There are currently plans by Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company as previously reported to change the use of the ferry terminal to a 450-job technology cluster. An application is to be lodged in the coming weeks with a preferred bidder for a multimillion euro, 10-year lease on the building.

If the plan succeeds, the re-designated terminal would generate income from the building, to meet the harbour company’s core objective of harbour maintenance.

The purpose-built ferry terminal was completed in 1995. In recent years the entrance foyer of the terminal been used as an exhibition space. A Bicentenary related exhibition was held until last week by a group of artists headed by the renowned local artist and historian Peter Pearson.

Amongst Pearson's works were those tracing the harbour's history depicting scenes of Sealink / British Rail ferries from the 1970’s among them St. Columba. The carferry became part of the Stena fleet and not to be confused with the the operator's current 'Adventurer' serving out of Dublin. This ship on the Holyhead route is partnered by Stena Superfast X.

Published in Dun Laoghaire Harbour News

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About The Author

Jehan Ashmore

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Jehan Ashmore is a marine correspondent, researcher and photographer, specialising in Irish ports, shipping and the ferry sector serving the UK and directly to mainland Europe. Jehan also occasionally writes a column, 'Maritime' Dalkey for the (Dalkey Community Council Newsletter) in addition to contributing to UK marine periodicals.

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Irish Sea Ferry Routes

Irrespective of the type of vessel deployed on Irish Sea routes (between 2-9 hours), it is the ferry companies that keep the wheels of industry moving as freight vehicles literally (roll-on and roll-off) ships coupled with motoring tourists and the humble 'foot' passenger transported 363 days a year.

As such the exclusive freight-only operators provide important trading routes between Ireland and the UK, where the freight haulage customer is 'king' to generating year-round revenue to the ferry operator. However, custom built tonnage entering service in recent years has exceeded the level of capacity of the Irish Sea in certain quarters of the freight market.

A prime example of the necessity for trade in which we consumers often expect daily, though arguably question how it reached our shores, is the delivery of just in time perishable products to fill our supermarket shelves.

A visual manifestation of this is the arrival every morning and evening into our main ports, where a combination of ferries, ro-pax vessels and fast-craft all descend at the same time. In essence this a marine version to our road-based rush hour traffic going in and out along the commuter belts.

Across the Celtic Sea, the ferry scene coverage is also about those overnight direct ferry routes from Ireland connecting the north-western French ports in Brittany and Normandy.

Due to the seasonality of these routes to Europe, the ferry scene may be in the majority running between February to November, however by no means does this lessen operator competition.

Noting there have been plans over the years to run a direct Irish –Iberian ferry service, which would open up existing and develop new freight markets. Should a direct service open, it would bring new opportunities also for holidaymakers, where Spain is the most visited country in the EU visited by Irish holidaymakers ... heading for the sun!