I won’t arise and go now...
IT seems the WB Yeats ferry won’t be Sailing To Byzantium... or anywhere for some time – leaving thousands of passengers all at sea.
Further delays to refurbishment works on the new Irish Ferries ship named after Ireland’s most famous poet mean that 6,000 people will have to take an alternative route from Ireland to France this summer.
However, while the disruption won’t be poetry to the ears of many customers most have not been left stranded as Irish Ferries says ‘up to 95%’ of those affected will be accommodated.
‘Irish Ferries regrets that, due to extraordinary circumstances beyond its control, the delivery of the WB Yeats has been further delayed by the shipbuilder FSG,’ the liner said in a statement.
‘Because of the uncertainty
‘Embarrassing and expensive summer’
caused by this additional delay, Irish Ferries has no option but to cancel all the planned sailings to France for WB Yeats this summer, with the ship now likely to commence sailing with Irish Ferries on Dublin/Holyhead as scheduled in September.’
The €144million luxury cruise ferry was built in Germany, with the ‘terrible beauty’ sea-borne just five months ago.
Irish Ferries boasts on its website that the WB Yeats has space for 1,885 passengers and crew, 1,200 cars and 440 cabins, including luxury suites with their own private balconies.
Other facilities include a Club Class lounge, à la carte and selfservice restaurants, a cinema, shopping mall and a choice of bars and lounges.
Irish Ferries is contacting affected customers to inform them of the cancellations, apolo- gise and offer them alternative travel options.
Eoghan Corry, of travelextra.ie, described the cancellations as ‘an embarrassing and expensive summer’ for the company.
He said the majority of customers are set to be accommodated on other routes and via the ‘landbridge’ through Britain.
‘There’s been a sub-contractor problem with the electrical wiring, they’re going to get the ship but not in time to go through all the sea trials and safety checks so they’ve written off this summer. They’re going to use the Epsilon ship to pick up the slack and hope to get most of the people off to France that were supposed to go,’ he added.
‘It might involve many of the passengers going to Rosslare or land-bridging through Britain but the Epsilon ship will give them a bit of leeway,’ he said. ‘It should mean people will get their holidays, some might lose a day land-bridging.
‘Irish Ferries calculate they’ll be able to get 90-95% of the customers sorted without them losing their holiday, the rest will look for compensation and their money back.’
Passengers taking the route via Britain will be reimbursed the cost of their fuel from the port of arrival in the UK to the port of arrival in France.
Irish Ferries added: ‘If alternative travel arrangements do not suit, customers will be entitled to a full refund of all monies paid.’
The company had already cancelled July sailings for the WB Yeats when it was told in April of the initial repair delay.
Some 2,500 bookings were affected by that cancellation, but 95% of them switched to Irish Ferries’ other ferry to France, the Oscar Wilde.
Customers are being offered a €150 voucher that can be used on any of its Ireland-France routes next year.