Fast ferry to be scrapped by Stena Line
STENA Line’s HSS Explorer service from Holyhead to Ireland is to be scrapped. The fast ferry that runs to the port of Dun Laoghaire has been in doubt for a number of years after fuel prices spiralled and passenger numbers plunged.
Stena reduced daily sailings of the 1,600-passenger vessel from two to one in 2008, and then brought in the smaller 600-passenger Stena Express (Lynx) in 2010 to run over off-peak months.
In 2011 the company announced the HSS Explorer, which crossed the Irish Sea in two hours, will remain in dock from September to April.
In recent years it has run a summer service and routes over Christmas, although this was also cut in 2014.
Stena recently announced that after a fall of 90% in passenger figures the HSS Explorer would be axed, although the company said no jobs will be affected by the move.
The company said it will be concentrating on expanding its existing ferry service at Dublin Port.
Ian Davies, Stena Line’s route manager for Irish Sea South, said: “With two services operating approximately 10 miles apart we needed to make a decision in relation to what operation best serves the needs of our customers now and in the years ahead, and that operation is Dublin Port.
“Stena Line has operated the HSS Stena Explorer into Dun Laoghaire since 1995, during which time the vessel has carried a mix of passengers, car and coach traffic,” added Mr Davies. “The Dun Laoghaire service was successful for several years following its introduction, carrying over 1.7 million passengers annually during its peak in 1998.
“However, post the withdrawal of duty free shopping, passenger and cars volumes declined dramatically and by 2014, less than 200,000 ferry passengers travelled through Dun Laoghaire Harbour.
“This represented a decline of over 90% in volume, making the route unsustainable.”
He added: “During the same time period Stena Line has continued to make significant investment in larger, better equipped vessels, and this, coupled with key improvements in road infrastructure and connectivity to Dublin, Belfast and further afield, has led to a signifi- cant uplift in both passenger and freight volumes through its evolving Dublin Port business.”
Mr Davies said that while Stena has enjoyed a “very professional working relationship” with Dun Laoghaire Harbour over many years, economic realities have left them “with no choice but to close the service”.
He added: “Dublin continues to grow in importance, not only as the core freight port for Ireland but also as the key tourism gateway into Ireland.
“Ireland remains a strategically important region for us which is why Stena Line has invested over £250m across our Irish Sea business in the last five years alone.”
In December Stena announced it was to replace the Stena Nordica with the Stena Superfast X, increasing passenger numbers on that service from around 400 to 1,200.
This comes at a time when ferry passengers travelling to Ireland by operators including Stena Line, Irish Ferries and P&O were up 1.4% overall in 2014 to 4.87m. The “central corridor” Holyhead and Liverpool routes to Dublin and Dun Laoghaire was the best-performing sub-sector, showing 2.9% growth to 2.13m passengers.
Mr Davies added: “Looking ahead, Stena Line is confident that this upward trend will continue which is why it has committed to increasing its capacity on the Dublin Port service.”