Ferry company, Stena Line is to resume sailings from Fishguard to Rosslare this Sunday, 5 March, just over three weeks since Stena Europe was taken off the Wales-Ireland route due to an engine room blaze.

As the Western Telegraph writes, the port in Pembrokeshire is to welcome the return of the Stena Europe following repairs to the engine room when the blaze took place off the Welsh coast on Saturday, 11 February.

Dating to 1981, the veteran vessel was repaired at the Cammel Laird shipyard, Birkenhead at the Tranmere Basin as Afloat previously reported and where a planned maintenance also took place.

Stena Europe which at more than 40 year's old, has for half that time spent a career on the Wales-Ireland route, is to be replaced in July by the 2001 built Stena Nordica.

This ropax ferry which is based on the Baltic Sea, Afloat adds previously served on the Irish Sea but on the Holyhead-Dublin route until replaced in 2015. Since then the ropax has returned to the Irish Sea as a relief ferry during annual winter dry-dockings.

As for the St. Georges Channel route, Stena Europe’s arrival in Fishguard is scheduled for this Saturday in readiness for the next day’s first passenger and freight crossing at 1300 on Sunday. On the same day, the ferry is to return from Rosslare at 18.15.

Stena Line’s trade director Irish Sea, Paul Grant, said: “We are very pleased to have Stena Europe back sailing from this Sunday, for its last few months on our Fishguard – Rosslare route; until it is replaced by a new look Stena Nordica in the summer.

"Thank you to all our customers for their patience.”

The Rosslare-Fishguard Stena Line ferry, which following an engine-room blaze that occurred over a week ago, is in for repairs at a shipyard on Merseyside, writes Jehan Ashmore.

Stena Europe is berthed in the Tranmere basin at the Cammell Laird shipyard in Birkenhead (which is nearby to the ferry terminal/see story).

As Afloat previously reported the crew were able to extinguish the fire which took place as the ferry was nearing the Port of Fishguard in Pemrokeshire.

All passengers and crew were unharmed having arrived to the Welsh port and from where rescue authorities were on hand to also assist as a precaution.

An investigation as to the cause of the fire is underway on the 1981 built ship which is the oldest ferry on the Irish Sea and of the Stena fleet. The Swedish owned company has a route network also on the North Sea and throughout Scandinavia. 

While Stena Europe is away from the St. George's Channel route, scheduled maintenance works will also take place in Birkenhead on the ferry which arrived on Merseyside last Tuesday. This following an overnight passage from Fishguard.

According to the Stena website, sailings on the Rosslare-Fishguard route up until 26th February are suspended and all traffic (including foot passengers) will be accommodated on an alternative sailing.

This involves customers transferring to rival operator Irish Ferries on the Rosslare-Pembroke Dock route served by the chartered in Blue Star 1.

In addition Stena have facilitated those travelling with another alternative by travelling instead on their Dublin-Holyhead route.

A Stena Line ferry is back on the Fishguard to Rosslare run after six weeks in dry dock for ‘complex repairs’ that were discovered to be necessary during a routine inspection.

The ferry Stena Europe was initially taken off the Fishguard to Rosslare run in the middle of May when Stena confirmed that the ferry had been sent for repairs at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast 'following a routine inspection'.

No replacement vessel was forthcoming, and sailings were initially cancelled until May 21.

However, at the end of May the company said that the repairs were still ongoing, with the ferry due to be back on the run by initially by June 4 and then June 24.

The Western Telegraph has more on the ferry's resumption on the St. Georges Channel link.

Stena Europe is still out of action as a 'combination of complex engineering tasks and issues sourcing parts' have caused the ferry to remain in dry dock longer than anticipated.

According to the Western Telegraph, the Stena Europe will have been in dry dock for over a month.

The ferry was initially taken off the Fishguard to Rosslare run in the middle of May when Stena confirmed that the ferry had been sent for repairs at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast 'following a routine inspection'. Sailings were initially cancelled until May 21.

However, at the end of May the company said that the repairs were still ongoing, with the ferry due to be back on the run by June 4.

No replacement vessel has been put on the Fishguard to Rosslare run in the meantime.

The latest announcement from Stena gives June 24 as the date for when the Europe will be up and running.

Click here for more of the story.

On completion of an extensive refit programme at an Asian shipyard located in Turkey and at a dock in Liverpool, the UK, the Stena Europe has recently resumed its scheduled sailing services on the Rosslare - Fishguard route. 

Afloat.ie adds the veteran ferry returned to service later than expected as an original completion timeframe was set for July before the high-season ended on the St. Georges Channel service linking Ireland and Wales.  

As alluded by the operator, Stena Europe's upgrade programme took longer than had been anticipated but as Stena Line’s Trade Director (Irish Sea South) Ian Davies said, the upgraded vessel will now offer a significant improvement in customer care. “I know there has been a certain amount of frustration with the delayed return of the Stena Europe, a very popular vessel with both our freight and travel customers. We had planned for a number of improvements and additions throughout the ship both of a technical and customer-facing nature, but we did encounter a number of challenges which impacted on our works delivery schedule for which I’d like to apologies to our customers. “

Ian Davies added: “During the refit period our cover vessel the Stena Nordica did a sterling job ensuring we maintained our sailing schedule on Fishguard – Rosslare and I would like thank the Captain and crew of the Stena Nordica for their efforts. We are now all looking forward to welcoming the Stena Europe back and I know a lot of our regular customers are looking forward to seeing the improvements.”

“Apart from a number of technical upgrades our freight customers will be particularly pleased to hear that we have altered our deck height to be able to accommodate the increasing trend for high sided trailers and for our travel customers we have also added a new Hygge Lounge which offers luxury reclining seats set in a private, ultra-stylish but cosy surrounding, an upgraded Retail Shop and a refurbished Happy children’s play area to name a few changes.”

As for the whereabouts of Stena Nordica, Afloat.ie yesterday tracked the former Dublin-Holyhead ferry (displaced by Stena Superfast X  in 2015) make a repositioning voyage from Rosslare Europort when transitting through the English Channel bound for Rotterdam (Europoort), The Netherlands. 

The Japanese built ropax completed the passage having arrived in Europe's largest port today. 

#ferries - The Rosslare-Fishguard ferry Stena Europe is off service and is currently undergoing a significant three-month refit visit at a shipyard located outside Europe.

Last month Afloat monitored the Ireland-Wales ferry having left familiar waters when off Spain and prior to taking on bunkers in Gibraltar and entering the Meditteranean. According to Stena Line the ferry is at the Gemak Shipyard in Tuzla. The yard is located in the province of Istanbul, Turkey on the Asian side of the city. 

The 24,828 gross tonnage ferry which was introduced on the St. Georges Channel route in 2002 is scheduled to return late June 2019 and during the visit a number of upgrade projects will be completed.

One of the most significant projects to be undertaken includes modifications to the deckhead levels on the main vehicle deck to allow for the carriage of full-height trailers across the whole of the main vehicle deck. Prior to arrival at the Turkish shipyard, Stena Europe was restricted to carrying full-height trailers on its port side only.

Other works will include the renewal of the majority of the ship’s windows, engine and hull overhauls including blasting the whole hull to remove all the existing old paint work to improve fuel efficiency and the ships appearance.

Internally, the passenger stairwells will be revamped, a redesign of the Barista Coffee outlet, as well as upgrades to the passenger Information Desk and other decor improvements. During the refit period, the Stena Europe has been replaced by the Stena Nordica on the Rosslare-Fishguard service.

Ian Davies, Stena Line Trade Director (Irish Sea South) said: “Our ongoing ship refit programme is an important part of our business operation ensuring that our fleet operates to its maximum efficiently and is further evidence of Stena Line’s rolling investment programme for the region. The Stena Europe is an important part of our Irish Sea South fleet and we look forward to welcoming a revamped vessel back to our Rosslare-Fishguard service in the summer with the capacity to accommodate even more full-height trailers while still carrying up to 1, 400 passengers.

This is an important year for Stena Line on the Irish Sea as preparations are made to receive the first of its new generation E-Flexer series vessels, the Stena Estrid, which is scheduled to enter service on the Dublin to Holyhead route in early 2020, the first of three new E-Flexer vessels bound for the Irish Sea region..

Stena Line is the largest ferry operator on the Irish Sea, operating routes between Ireland and Britain, including Dublin to Holyhead, Belfast to Liverpool /Heysham and Belfast to Cairnryan. In addition a continental direct service to France between Rosslare and Cherbourg.

#FerryReturns – A ferry on the Stena Line Holyhead-Dublin Port had to return to Anglesey after reports of a fire on board.

Emergency services were called after smoke was spotted coming from a refrigeration unit on the car deck of the Holyhead to Dublin Stena Europe ferry. No fire was found and the Stena Europe was able to leave for Dublin. For more BBC North Wales reports.

Afloat.ie adds that the Stena Europe has docked in Dublin Port this afternoon having completed the delayed sailing from Wales.

Stena Europe normally operates the Rosslare-Fishguard route and yesterday the ferry made a repositioning voyage to Dublin Port.

The veteran ferry built in 1981 is covering Dublin-Holyhead sailings otherwise operated by Stena Nordica which went off service for dry-docking. The route's second ferry, Stena Adventurer maintains running on schedule.

Stena Europe is due to have an annual refit in Cammell Laird, Birkenhead. Currently there are no sailings between Rosslare-Fishguard until her return on 9 December. An interim replacement service from Rosslare is running instead to Pembroke Dock and this route is operated by Irish Ferries.

#MarineWildlife - BBC News has some incredible footage of a 'superpod' comprising hundreds of dolphins in the Irish Sea captured this week.

The video was shot by surprised researchers with the Wales-based Sea Trust on one of the groups routine survey expeditions between Fishguard and Rosslare on board the Stena Europe ferry.

Cliff Benson of the marine wildlife charity described the sea as "boiling" with dolphins just 10 miles off the Irish coast yesterday morning.

"They were just coming and coming. It was the last thing on earth I was expecting in the winter," he said. "We had at least 250 and that's a conservative estimate. I'm guessing there was as many as 500."

The incredible sight comes just a month after the researchers recorded what they called a "dolphin-fest" along the same route west of Tusker Rock, numbering more than a 100 dolphins and 26 porpoises.

BBC News has more on the story HERE - and more footage is available HERE via RTÉ News.

#FERRY NEWS - A Stena Line ferry was unable to dock in Rosslare last night after a collision with an Irish Ferries passenger craft in heavy winds.

TheJournal.ie reports that the Stena Europe ferry was attempting to dock at Rosslare Harbour after its arrival from Fishguard around 6pm when it made contact with the starboard bow of the Oscar Wilde, which was stationary in port.

RTÉ News says that neither vessel was badly damaged in the incident, but docking was postponed pending the departure of the Irish Ferries vessel, which was expected around 11.30pm last night.

More than 500 passengers and crew were on board the ferry at the time of the incident, which occurred amid gusts of up to 35 knots.

The return journey to Fishguard and this morning's Fishguard-Rosslare sailing were cancelled while an inspection of the vessel gets underway.

#FERRY NEWS - A commemoration plaque in memory to those who lost their lives when the Irish Sea passenger ferry S.S. Patrick (II) was attacked by a bomb from the Luftwaffe during WW2, is to be unveiled in Rosslare Europort next Wednesday.

The tragic attack in 1941 resulted in the 1,922 tonnes vessel sinking with the death of 30 people while the twin-screw steam turbine powered vessel was on passage off the Welsh coast. The ship built in 1930 was launched from the Alexander Stephen & Sons Glasgow (Yard No 525) Glasgow, and she commissioned to serve the St. Georges's channel route between Rosslare and Fishguard.

She had been targeted by a German machine gunner the previous year even though it was not a military vessel and the reasons for its attack have remained a mystery to this day.

Diane Poole OBE, Head of PR and Communications at Stena Line said, "The ship that sank was owned by the Fishguard and Rosslare Railways and Harbours Company (FRRHC), of whom Stena Line along with Irish Rail/Rosslare Europort are descendants.

She added: "Despite the deaths and the trauma attached to the event, the memory of the ship and those who went down with her has largely been lost. There has never been a true commemoration in Ireland of the disaster – until now."

For further information about the tragedy click HERE and a documentary recorded for RTE Radio On can be listened to by clicking this LINK.

The current ferry operating the route is the Stena Europe (1981/24,828grt) which has maintained the route for the last decade. Sailings on the summer schedule will not be boosted by the fast-ferry craft, Stena Lynx III which was sold last year to serve new South Korean owners.