Month: October 2015
Press Release: Stena Line celebrates Best Ferry Company Award
Stena Line wins ‘Best Ferry Company’ for the 23rd time. Press Release issued on behalf of Stena Line, 27/10/15. LEADING ferry company Stena Line is celebrating after winning top ferry company for a record-breaking 23rd time at the annual Northern Ireland Travel and Tourism Awards. The ‘Best Ferry Company’ award was presented to Paul Grant, Route Manager, Irish Sea North for Stena Line at the awards ceremony on Friday (October 16) at the Slieve Donard Resort and Spa in Newcastle. Orla Noonan, Head of Travel at Stena Line said: “We are absolutely thrilled to win this much coveted award – it is a great testament to our total commitment to quality ferry travel and customer service on all of our routes and is particularly special as the recognition comes from our peers in the travel industry. “Delivering excellent customer service across the whole of our business is something we are very ... Read more
HSS Stena Explorer latest: Tug Bluster expected in Holyhead this evening.
It has been confirmed that the anchor handling tug, Bluster, is expected to arrive in Holyhead this evening, with the task of towing the remaining Stena HSS 1500 vessel Stena Explorer to Turkey. Speculation as to what future awaits the vessel has been rife online, with some expectant that the vessel will proceed straight to scrapping at Aliaga, rather than to Istanbul for conversion to static use as previously announced. No departure date for the remaining HSS 1500 vessel has been announced, however it is expected that she will leave Holyhead for the last time in the near future. It is known that HSS Stena Explorer‘s engines have been started regularly, and it is expected that she may move under her own power one last time, in order to leave her inner harbour berth at Holyhead before being towed by the Dutch tug Bluster the rest of the way to Turkey. HSS Stena Explorer was ... Read more
Site updates (a quickie)
After a period of absence due to illness, the following updates have taken place in the past week or so: Stena Navigator history and technical information published. This is in a slightly changed format from the vessel profiles published to-date, with photographs and headings throughout.  All other vessel profiles will be updated to this format in the coming weeks (updates to these pages will not be posted to Facebook or Twitter so as not to clog up peoples feeds/walls). The end of an era: Goodbye to P&O’s Express feature, published. Further photographs added to the Stena Superfast VII/VIII, Express, and Manannan pages. Update on the former Stena Antrim published. Stena Line sailing updates published (see sailing updates in the main menu). Twitter account added, activated, and linked (add us @NI_Ferry_Site for live updates of new content). More updates to follow in the coming weeks.  As always, thank you to all who ... Read more
Ibn Batouta (ex Stena Antrim) update.
Further service (hopefully) beckons for the former North Channel favourite It has been confirmed that the purchasers, at auction, of the former COMANAV ferry Ibn Batouta (better known as the former Stena Antrim and St Christopher) was Albanian operator Red Star Ferries.  Red Star Ferries currently operate from the Italian port of Brindisi to the Albanian ports of Durres and Vlore, with the elderly Red Star 1 (ex, Viking III, originally built 1965).  It is rumoured that Ibn Batouta has been acquired to operate one of the existing Brindisi to Durres or Vlore routes, though it is understood that the Vlore route has less traffic and so it may be more likely she will operate to Durres instead.  It is believed that the vessel is currently (or about to) undergo an intensive refit at Bijela (Montenegro), which will involve her capacity being enhanced, and recertification.  Certainly, an intensive refurbishment will be required, with the long layover in Algercias having ... Read more