Drug bust also finds lockdown violators
STENA Line’s new £160m super-ferry is being taken off the Holyhead to Dublin route for repairs and maintenance after suffering engine problems – just four months after entering service.
Stena Estrid started on the route in January after being built at AVIC Weihai Shipyard in China,
But now the ship is set to be taken out of service for up to six weeks, after it suffered problems with its Germanbuilt engines. The ship will be replaced for the time being by the Stena Nordica.
This all comes as the ferry industry battles through the coronavirus pandemic with passenger levels vastly reduced.
A Stena Line spokesman said: “From the beginning of May, Stena Estrid will be taken out of service for approximately five to six weeks, for maintenance and outfitting work.
“The vessel will be berthed in Cairnryan, where the work will be undertaken by Stena Line’s engineers.
“Stena Nordica will serve as the relief vessel on the Holyhead-Dublin route, where it is being deployed after finishing its charter contract with the UK’s Department of Transport.
“In the current climate she will provide ample capacity.
“Once Stena Estrid is back in operation, Stena Nordica will then move south to cover the FishguardRosslare route, where it will relieve the Stena Europe for approximately two weeks for the annual refit.
“These are roles the Stena Nordica is familiar with.
“In recent years the vessel has undertaken temporary postings on both routes on the Irish Sea, where it has provided cover for a number of vessels.
“On completion of these postings the Stena Nordica will transfer to the Baltic Sea to serve as a third vessel on the Karlskrona-Gdynia route, focusing on freight cargo.”
A HOUSE linked to suspected drug use was shut down by police who also found people breaching coronavirus rules.
Officers from North Wales Police issued a closure order on the property on Bethesda High Street preventing anyone who does not live there from entering it for 48 hours. A breach of the order could result in a fine or imprisonment.
In a Facebook post, police issued an image showing suspected drug paraphernalia found on a table in the property.
And they said that two people who did not live there were found to be breaching Covid-19 rules on social distancing when they went to the house. Inspector Jon Aspinall said: “In closing this property it sends a clear and lasting message: we will respond to public concerns, whether Covid-19 related or otherwise.”