Year: 2016
Stena kicks-off Irish Sea refit programme
Stena Hibernia first of 9 Stena Line vessels to visit Harland and Wolff. Stena Line kicked off their 2017 Irish Sea refit programme today (Wednesday), with Stena Hibernia making the short journey across the River Lagan to Harland and Wolff’s ‘Belfast Dry Dock’. Stena Europe will be next to go for refit on Jan 4th, covered by Stena Nordica which is returning to the Irish Sea as the refit cover vessel this year. This follows spells on the English Channel and Mediterranean with DFDS and GNV respectively, following her displacement on the Dublin to Holyhead route by Stena Superfast X. Stena Nordica is of course a part-sister ship to P&O’s European Causeway and European Highlander, having been built for P&O as European Ambassador. £7m contract It is expected that the Stena Line Irish Sea refit programme for 2017 will run until early next May. As reported previously, Harland and Wolff ... Read more
Former Stena Galloway on the move again
Le Rif, better known locally as the former Stena Galloway and Galloway Princess, has been on the move again. The former Stena and Sealink ferry had been moved from Tangier Med to the Mario Lopez shipyard in Malaga earlier in the year, however it appears that her owners have decided to complete work on the ship elsewhere with the ship having never entered the dry dock at the Spanish yard. It has been rumoured that the owners and the yard could not come to a financial agreement acceptable to both parties. It is said that the ship is seriously deficient in basic areas and that the work required is more extensive than previously thought meaning the original €2.5m budget for the work was inadequate. Le Rif left Malaga under the tow of Sea Dream on 17th of November, arriving in La Spezia (Italy) on the 23rd of November. According to ferrybalear.blogspot.be it ... Read more
PR (Stena): Reel in the years with an old school cruise.
STENA LINE is encouraging people to roll back the years on their Old School Cruise which launches on Tuesday 15 November 2016. This non-landing cruise is tailored for those aged 55 and over and is the perfect way for the young at heart to spend an exciting day enjoying a game of Bingo, delicious lunch and then an afternoon of toe-tapping fun at the Tea Dance, all for only £15 per person. Heather Gawley, Marketing Manager at Stena Line explains why this is a cruise not to be missed: “We created this cruise especially for those who want to spend a fun day out with friends reminiscing about the good old days over a tasty lunch, having a dance to some of their favourite tunes and aiming for a full house at Bingo. “This great value cruise means you can spend a memorable day with friends or family without breaking the bank. Tickets for the cruise would also ... Read more
PR (Stena): Stena Line welcomes opening of M6 Link Road
The much anticipated £130m M6 Link Road officially opened on Monday 31st October. The scheme, which has been under construction since 2014, will connect the Heysham peninsula directly to the M6, providing better access to Morecambe and industrial areas that include the Port of Heysham and the Heysham power stations. The new road, soon to be known as the Bay Gateway, will make the area more appealing for businesses by reducing travel times and increasing connections to the regional and national road network. It will also reduce congestion and help people to get around the area as well as opening up new job opportunities. The main part of the Bay Gateway scheme involves constructing a 4.8km dual carriageway from the A589 between Morecambe and Lancaster to an upgraded junction 34 on the M6, with additional measures to improve transport in the city, including a major new park and ride site ... Read more
PR (Lancs County Council): Bay Gateway opens to traffic
The Bay Gateway has opened to traffic this afternoon (Monday 31 October 2016), linking the Heysham peninsula to the M6 at junction 34. This £140m project is the biggest new road to be built in Lancashire for decades, and is expected to boost economic growth by providing better access to the peninsula. Funded by £29m from Lancashire County Council and £111m from the Department for Transport, the road has been under construction since January 2014 by Costain. The 4.8km route completes the connection from the Heysham peninsula directly to the M6, providing better access to Morecambe and industrial areas which include the Port of Heysham and the Heysham power stations. It will also help to ease congestion in Lancaster city centre. The road has already brought economic benefits to the area, with over 100 local long-term unemployed people being trained and employed during construction. It is predicted that for every ... Read more
PR (Peel ports): EXPANSION PLANS FOR HEYSHAM WITH £10M FACILITY INVESTMENT
A new link-span bridge at the Port of Heysham is set to increase throughput at the Lancashire port by allowing it to accommodate larger RoRo vessels operating on the Irish Sea. The £10m investment by owners Peel Ports will create a fourth berth for freight and passenger traffic and help operators to respond more effectively to growing demand. The funding will also see a new pontoon built to support offshore crew transfer vessels, a new port entrance created and various improvements to the port IT and terminal operating systems. Work will begin in November and is expected to be completed by October 2017. A new link road connecting the port and the M6, bypassing congestion in Lancaster, is set to open on the 31 October. Heysham is also the closest port for several major offshore infrastructure projects including the proposed National Grid connection of Moorside nuclear power station in Cumbria ... Read more
PR: Bay Gateway M6 relief road unleashes Port of Heysham’s potential
IRISH SEA freight ferry operator Seatruck says the opening of the new £124.5million Bay Gateway relief road in Lancaster, is the biggest commercial opportunity for the Port of Heysham in its history. Seatruck CEO Alistair Eagles said the opening, on October 31, is the long awaited ‘big bang’ moment for the Port of Heysham. He said it unleashes the port’s potential to win more Irish Sea tonnage from hauliers who no longer have to wrestle with congestion between the M6, Lancaster and the Heysham peninsula. “This is the moment we have campaigned and worked years for,” he said. “The Bay Gateway thrusts Heysham firmly forward as a growing hub for Irish Sea freight. Our big message to hauliers, and any company operating cargo across the Irish Sea, is think again, think Heysham, think Seatruck. At Seatruck we can offer a hugely attractive alternative to remote ports like Holyhead and Cairnryan ... Read more
PR (Stena): Stena Line confirms £7m fleet refit contract with Harland & Wolff
Stena Line has confirmed that Harland & Wolff’s Belfast shipyard will be carrying out the bulk of its Irish Sea annual ferry fleet refit and maintenance programme in a £7m contract. Each year Stena Line carries out a series of passenger facility upgrade works as well as a number of scheduled maintenance and engine works to ensure its fleet of 11 ferries on the Irish Sea are running to optimum efficiency. The Harland & Wolff refit schedule for 9 of the Irish Sea fleet will start at the end of December and will run through until early May 2017 to ensure that Stena Line’s sailing schedules are not unduly impacted. Paul Grant, Stena Line’s Route Manager (Irish Sea North) commented: “The marine refit sector is a highly competitive market and I’m delighted to confirm that Stena Line has appointed Harland & Wolff to carry out this important operational project. Stena ... Read more
PR (Stena): Stena Line wins ‘Best Ferry Company’ for the 24th time
LEADING ferry company Stena Line is celebrating after winning top ferry company for a record-breaking 24th 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 21) at the Slieve Donard Resort and Spa in Newcastle. Northern Ireland Travel News has organised these prestigious awards for the past 25 years and this year’s ceremony was hosted by much loved actor Jimmy Nesbitt who ensured attendees were entertained all night. The awards ceremony was attended by over 450 people from the local travel and tourism industry and awards were given out over 30 categories, which is the largest number of categories to date. Orla Noonan, Head of Travel at Stena Line said: “We are absolutely delighted to win this much coveted award and it is particularly ... Read more
PR (Stena): Stranraer Museum Recognises Stena Galloway Community Contribution
Captain Robin White and past crew members of the Stena Galloway, formerly the Galloway Princess ferry, which made the daily ferry crossing between Stranraer to Larne for over two decades, joined representative of Dumfries & Galloway Council at a special ceremony held at Stranraer Museum today (Wed 19th Oct). To mark the special link between the vessel and the town of Stranraer over many years, Stranraer Museum kindly agreed to put on permanent display the nameplate of a British Rail locomotive name in honour of the Stena Galloway, as a lasting reminder of the special bond that existed between the ship and the town and people of Stranraer. The British Rail engine was built in Crew and entered service in 1965 as Engine D1973. The locomotive engine spent most of its working life based in Scotland located at either Inverness or Eastfield in Glasgow. The locomotive engine was called the ... Read more