#TheEasterFerries – Ferries are gearing up in advance of the busy Easter break with vessels dry-docking or leaving their hibernation berths ready for Spring service and throughout the season, writes Jehan Ashmore.

On the North Channel, P&O Ferries seasonal fast-craft Express had departed her winter lay-up in Belfast Port yesterday to undertake a passage to Scotland.

This took the 91m Incat craft to Cairnryan, to where P&O Ferries operate year-round services by conventional ro-pax ferries to and from the route to Larne. It is from the Co. Antrim ferryport, that Express is to start operating in just over a fortnight on the seasonal Larne-Troon route with 2 hour 15 minute crossings beginning on 31 March.

Also on the North Channel, the Belfast-Cairnryan route is where Stena Nordica is operating despite her repositioning voyage from Holyhead to Belfast, as previously reported.

It transpires following her direct replacement on the Wales-Dublin Port route by newcomer Stena Superfast X, the smaller ro-pax is to continue in company service before heading for a new career on the Strait of Dover. 

She is serving on the Northern Ireland-Scotland route so to cover Belfast-Cairnryan route Superfast sisters as they take turns to go for overhaul. In which Stena Superfast VII is currently in Harland & Wolf's Belfast dry-dock.

This leaves Stena Superfast VIII running alongside the stand-in 'Nordica' which is the same name of an older ferry that was mentioned by Dan Sten Olsson during his speech of the launch of the Dublin-Holyhead Superfast X last week.

The chairman of Stena referred to the former Stena Nordica as the Swedish company's first ferry to operate on the Irish Sea. The ferry was then in a chartered capacity during service in 1971 on the old Larne-Stranraer route.

In the context of the short sea-route link between these islands, the current Stena Nordica is to start a new career on the Dover-Calais route while under charter to DFDS Seaways. By coincidence, Stena Superfast X had operated for the Danish operator also on the same route while under charter from Stena as Dieppe Seaways.

#ManxEasterSailings – Isle of Man sailings to and from Douglas to Dublin and Belfast ports, start this week in advance and during the Easter Bank Holiday Weekend, writes Jehan Ashmore.

Firstly Douglas-Dublin Port sailings set off tomorrow early morning from the Manx capital served by fast-craft Manannan which returns back to the Isle of Man for a lunchtime arrival.

Manannan is also to take the honour in re-opening Douglas-Belfast sailings on Friday, 18 April with a departure at 15.00hrs from the Isle of Man and with the fast-craft ferry arriving in Belfast at 17.45hrs. She departs Belfast that same evening at 18.45 and is to complete the day-round trip with an arrival to Douglas scheduled for 21.30hrs.

For further information of sailings on both routes during the Easter Weekend consult the Isle of Man Steam Packet sailing schedule HERE and by checking the latest information sailing updates from this LINK.

In addition the Steam Packet operate other services linking the Isle of Man to the UK on the following routes, Douglas-Heysham and Douglas-Liverpool.