Competing operators Stena Line and Irish Ferries have entered into a temporary agreement to share passenger and freight space on central and southern Irish Sea routes.
The strategic collaboration will enable Irish Ferries to carry out essential dry-docking of ferries whilst ensuring service continuity, quality, and reliability. This temporary agreement will take effect from 20 November until 04 December 2025.
During this time, Stena Line will operate the Dublin-Holyhead service with capacity on the North Wales route allocated for Irish Ferries customers. Simultaneously, Irish Ferries will offer space on the Rosslare–Pembroke route for Stena Line passengers and freight customers.
Stena Line customers will travel on the Pembroke–Rosslare route. In addition, Stena Line personnel will be on hand at Pembroke Port in South Wales to assist customers. This temporary change also allows Stena Line to undertake planned maintenance at Fishguard Port, where the Swedish company is also reinforcing its long-term commitment to investment next year at the port, also in Pembrokeshire.
Johan Edelman, Trade Director for Irish Sea South at Stena Line, said, “We’re delighted to announce this temporary operational model that safeguards continuity of service for our freight and travel customers during essential maintenance and upgrades to our vessels. This collaboration strengthens the resilience of our operations across the Irish Sea and ensures we maintain service reliability.”
He added, “Our customer’s needs are always first and foremost in our minds; therefore, we are delighted that the development of this model has been possible.”
Stena Line will be informing customers of any changes to travel.
