A freight ferry from operator Stena Line when in Belfast Lough had to be towed to safety having gotten into difficulties when bound for Heysham, England.
The operator’s Stena Hibernia reports Belfast Telegraph suffered an engine failure on Saturday morning when on the freight-only route that serves between the city and the Lancashire port.
The 114 (unaccompanied) trailer unit capacity freight-ferry came to a halt off the coast of Holywood in Co. Down from where the stricken vessel anchored. A pair of Belfast based tugs, Afloat, added from the Spanish giant, Boluda Towage SMS (formerly SMS Towage), assisted the 1996 Japan built ro-ro freighter away for repairs.
A spokesperson from Stena said it suffered “a complete loss of power” at around 9.30am during the scheduled departure from Belfast Harbour. "The vessel immediately went to anchor, and two tugs and a pilot attended to secure the vessel’s position,”.
"The crew has successfully restored power and continues to thoroughly test onboard systems before commencing passage back to Belfast. All relevant maritime authorities have been informed.”
The spokesperson added, "It is anticipated that the vessel will be able to return to normal service tomorrow (13 October) for the scheduled evening sailing to Heysham.”
Afloat today, can confirm the Stena Hibernia is in service this afternoon with a crossing to Heysham while the Stena Scotia is underway sailing in the opposite direction.
The Irish Sea route is also operated by twin, Stena Scotia, however the 7 hour service is to receive a boost as larger hybrid 'NewMax' twin freight-ferries under construction in China. The first of the newbuilds is to enter service in 2025.
In recent weeks, Afloat has tracked in Belfast Harbour the addition of a third Boluda Towage SMS tug, the Superman, which has a larger bollard pull to existing tug twins Masterman and Merchantman.
