Stena Line is marking 30 years since it began operations in Belfast Harbour and remains “vital” to Northern Ireland’s infrastructure, as one of its executives tells the Belfast Telegraph.
Paul Grant, trade director for the Irish Sea, hails the company’s growth in the region from three ships and a single route in 1995 to the current seven ships that serve three destinations in Scotland and England from Belfast Lough.
“During that time, the amount of freight that we’ve carried has increased fourfold,” he says. “The amount of passenger traffic that we carry has increased 80% since then.”
Declaring that Belfast “is now Stena Line’s biggest hub across Europe”, Grant adds that the ferry and freight company’s services have been “a lifeline to Northern Ireland”.
But he is not shy about expressing frustrations with regional governments regarding the road infrastructure around Belfast Harbour and Scottish ports, in particular the notorious Westlink.
The Belfast Telegraph has more on the story HERE.
