#FreightFerry – Belfast-Birkenhead (Liverpool) freight-ferry Stena Hibernia, which has been in service for just over one year, has according to Stena Line attracted freight traffic despite the difficult Northern Ireland market, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The ro-ro freight ferry has a capacity for 12 drivers and 110 unaccompanied units representing an additional 1,680 lane metre capacity. The route is also served by a pair of ro-pax ferries Stena Lagan and Stena Mersey.

Stena Hibernia operates eight sailings per week and to a sailing schedule that has enabled customers to deliver on next-day orders.The service has also further developed the positions of the Port of Liverpool and Port of Belfast as freight hubs.

Following negotiations between Stena Line and Belfast Harbour, additional quay space is for the Victoria Terminals (VT1 and 2) and Holyhead so to improve the overall operating layouts of these ports.

#P&Oexpress – Annual overhaul of P&O Ferries fast-ferry Express has been completed at Harland & Wolff, from where the craft departed the 225m long dry-dock of Belfast Dock yesterday, writes Jehan Ashmore.

Prior to dry-docking, the Incat 91m built craft had gone into routine winter lay-up in early October, having carried out seasonal Larne-Troon route sailings.

According to P&O Ferries, the 900 passenger / 220 car fast ferry is to resume service on the North Channel route in March 2015.

P&O also operate the year-round Larne-Cairnryan route, served by European Causeway and European Highlander. The ro-pax pair sisters had recently accommodated Stena Line passengers and freight customers where possible due to last week's suspended Belfast-Cairnryan (Loch Ryan Port) sailings.

The Stena Line service has since resumed and is running to a normal sailing schedule.

#RouteFuture? – There are growing fears that Stena Line may next year pull out of Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin, in a move that sources estimate could cost the harbour company €7 million, reports The Irish Times. 

Stena recently announced it would not run its (HSS) high-speed ferry service between Dún Laoghaire and Holyhead in Wales over Christmas for "commercial and operational reasons".

Concerns have since emerged that it intends to pull out of Dún Laoghaire altogether and will not next year resume the service it normally operates from the port during the summer.

When Stena said it would not operate the Christmas holiday service, it noted it was in talks with the south Dublin harbour company in relation to providing the summer service next year.

Both sides say those negotiations are continuing. It is understood they are due to meet again for further talks in the near future.

Stena's withdrawal would be a major blow to Dún Laoghaire Harbour. Sources estimate that Stena's business is worth €7 million a year to the company, which lost €890,000 in 2013.

For more on this story, click HERE.

#BusyScene- Rosslare Europort is busier than normal as vessels involved in dredging undergo there business while routine ferry operations continue, albeit this morning's Stena Line sailing to Fishguard was cancelled, writes Jehan Ashmore.

Stena Line cited that the Stena Europe had technical problems. She is this evening making a St. Georges Channel sailing heading to Rosslare from where passengers will be accommodated on the ship's sailing tonight departing as usual at 21.15hrs for Fishguard.

A fleetmate, Stena Horizon which operates Rosslare-Cherbourg service is berthed at the Irish port. On the adjacent berth was short-sea tanker, Mersey Spirit (1996/1,467grt) which departed after mid-afternoon. The 77m long tanker had docked in Rosslare having sailed from Liverpool docks to discharge bunkers used for Stena Line.

Stena also have bunker shipments supplied to Holyhead for the two-ship operated route to Dublin Port. The most recent caller late last month was Keewhit (2003/2,315grt) also measuring 77m in length.  She too departed from Merseyside but from Eastham on the Wirral Peninsula.

Stena Horizon, formerly Celtic Horizon which served Celtic Link Ferries until the Wexford based ferry firm was acquired earlier this year, would during CLF days have taken on bunkers at Cherbourg.

As alluded the dredging work is been carried out by Sospan Dau (1978/1,546 tonnes), a Dutch registered suction-trailer dredger along with assistance from Irish tug workboat, Trojan.

The dredger goes back and forth from the sand deposits that have built up along the breakwater and to dumping grounds off Rosslare Strand.

Amongst the shipping traffic, the RNLI's lifeboat is moored at the harbour's lifeboat station which is located between the port's two piers.

#FerryAward – At the Irish Travel Trade Awards, now in its 23rd year, Irish Ferries was voted 'Ireland's Best Ferry Company 2014' during a ceremony held last week.

The award category saw the ferry company winning in the face of competition from operators not just on Ireland – UK routes but those also serving on Ireland – France services.

Organised and sponsored by the Irish Travel Trade News magazine, the ITTN awards saw the ferry operator win the acclaimed award for the eighth year in succession and the 17th time overall. Each of the award categories are based on independent votes of travel trade professionals working in agencies throughout the island of Ireland.

The ferry award is said to have reflected the travel industry's response to the continuing investment being made by Irish Ferries.

In the past year, this has been seen particularly in the introduction of the passenger and freight ferry or 'ro-pax', Epsilon which has boosted capacity on the Dublin – Holyhead route and a new once-weekly return service on the new Dublin – Cherbourg route.

#StenaSphere – Swedish shipping magnate Dan Sten Olsson of Stena Sphere group, remains quite broad and despite facing several challenges it certainly remains innovative, writes LloydsList.com in their Top 100.

The Stena Sphere, the name the company uses for the group of company's owned by Dan Sten Olsson's family, consists of businesses focused on ferries, (which celebrated a 50th anniversary in 2012) tankers, gas carriers and offshore platforms. It is also active in scrap metal and real estate.

In the tanker business, Concordia Maritime, the only part of the Stena companies that is listed, has had a bumpy ride. The recent announcement that it has formed a pool with Stena Bulk says a lot about the company's dependency on the latter business.

Stena Bulk has been forced to continue its adaption this year, strengthening its activities in bio oil shipping, as well as its activities linked with Angolan oil major Sonangol.

Stena Bulk has also joined the fast-growing World Ocean Council, a global alliance involved in corporate social responsibility, sustainability and the oceans.
The other challenges in the group are in Stena Line, the north European ferry operator that will have to deal with a switch to low sulphur fuel as of January 1, 2015.

For more on the Lloyds List editorial, which examines Stena's role on the issue of the EU Sulphur Directive's impact on its North Sea, English Channel and Baltic Sea ferry network operations, click HERE.

#Condor102 – Condor Ferries have confirmed since our report as to the identity of which fast-craft the Channel Islands operator are to replace when fast-ferry Condor 102 enters service in early 2015, writes Jehan Ashmore.

Condor 102 as the name suggests is a 102 metre long craft built by Austal in Fremantle, which was acquired by Condor Ferries for £50m as previously reported. She is currently making her delivery voyage of 10,500 nautical miles from the Philippines to the UK.

When the western Australian built 880 passenger / 250 vehicle trimaran is renamed, she is scheduled to launch sailings on the Poole-Channel Islands services from March 2015 replacing the Tasmanian InCat built 86m fast-ferries Condor Vitesse and Condor Express.

This will leave third sister, Condor Rapide which was launched from Incat's Hobart yard in 1997 to remain in service for Condor Ferries which this year celebrates 50 years of operations.

Since 1964, the operator, have built up a network of routes from UK ports of Poole, Portsmouth and Weymouth to Guernsey and Jersey. In addition the Channel Islands are linked to France using the Normandy port of St. Malo.

Asides operating fast-ferries, Condor's fleet includes ro-pax Commodore Clipper, which serves the main conventional ferry services to and from the UK in addition to freight-only ferry, Commodore Goodwill which also links to France.

#StenaSailings – Stena Line's Belfast-Cairnryan sailings are according to their website operating albeit not to a full schedule, following an incident involving a ferry colliding at the Scottish port earlier this week, writes Jehan Ashmore.

As previously reported, Stena Line said no passengers or crew on board Stena Superfast VII were injured in the incident which they also cited was not weather related.

Some sailings however are cancelled and other remains in doubt. Those booked or intending to travel can contact Stena Line ferrycheck on 087 05 755 755 in addition to confirming latest sailing information in either direction, by clicking this link HERE

Of the North Channel route's two serving sisters, Stena Superfast VII on Tuesday had collided with the dock at Cairnryan, the £80m terminal at Loch Ryan Port which opened in 2011.

The 30,000 tonnes ferry had been making a scheduled docking procedure at the port when contact was made with the fenders. This resulted in the ship remaining moored at the terminal while a full inspection was carried out.

#CancelledSailings - UT.V News reports the ferry from Belfast to Cairnryan collided with the dock at the Scottish port around 6am on Tuesday.

Stena Line said no passengers or crew were injured.

It also said the incident was not weather related.

As a result sailings have been suspended until at least 7.30pm today (to confirm see link to Stena website below).

Stena Line said its decision on sailings after that time will be communicated to customers as early as possible.

A spokeswoman added: "During a scheduled docking procedure at Loch Ryan Port Stena Line's Superfast VII vessel made contact with the fenders which has resulted in the ship remaining moored at the port while a full inspection is carried out.

For more on this story click HERE.

Those booked or intending to travel can contact Stena Line by telephone and by checking the latest sailing information from this LINK.

#Condor102 - Channel Islands operator Condor Ferries latest acquisition, Condor 102, departed last week from Austal's shipyard in Balamban, Cebu in the Philippines, to begin her long (approx. 10,500 nautical miles) delivery voyage to Southampton.

Upon her arrival in the UK, final preparations will be made before the 102-metre fast-ferry passenger and vehicle trimaran is scheduled to enter a Poole-Channel Islands service at the end of March 2015. She will be renamed following a public competition for islanders.

Afloat.ie adds that Condor 102 is understood to replace one of a trio of InCat built 86m fast-ferries which currently operate services in addition to ro-pax Commodore Clipper. This conventional ferry is a slightly larger version of Isle of Man Steam Packet Co.'s Ben-My-Chree.

Condor 102 which was built in Austal's yard in Fremantle, Western Australia was relocated to their facility in the Philippines from where for the past four months she underwent fitting-out to Condor's specifications so to meet passenger standards when entering service.

The craft is expected to take around four weeks to make the journey to the UK. During the voyage, which is being undertaken by Condor crews, the ferry will sail across the Indian Ocean, through the Suez Canal and via the Mediterranean before travelling up the Bay of Biscay and into the English Channel.

"I'm delighted that we are now entering the final stages of the new ferry's preparations before she is able to come into service on the UK to Channel Islands route," said Capt Fran Collins, Executive Director – Operations, at Condor Ferries.

Once she arrives in Southampton, interior refurbishment specialists, Trimline, will complete the internal fit out and the ferry will undertake further trials before she begins sailing in the Spring.