Month: February 2017
HSC Express finds (another) new home on the Baltic.
HSC Express to become Viking FSTR. Baltic ferry operator Viking Line have announced that they will operate the former Larne – Troon fast craft HSC Express on their Helsinki – Tallinn route later in 2017.  Renamed Viking FSTR, the vessel which is on charter, will operate from 10th April to October 22nd with a crossing time across the Gulf of Finland of 1 hour and 45 minutes.  Viking FSTR (Viking Faster) joins the conventional ferry Viking XPRS on the route for Viking, operating in competition with Tallink’s Star, Silja Europa, and recently launched Megastar. A third operator on the route, Linda Line, operates the passenger only catamaran’s HSC Merlin and HSC Karolin with a 90 minute crossing time.  By comparison Tallink complete the passage in 2 hours, whilst Viking XPRS lags behind at 2.5 hours. The Helsinki to Tallinn route is very popular with shoppers who are keen to take advantage of the difference in tax rates ... Read more
A new ferry for Strangford
Strangford II ushers in a new era for historic lifeline ferry link. An historic ferry link. The Strangford Lough Ferry across “The Narrows” between Strangford and Portaferry has existed in one form or another without a break for over 4 centuries, since the time of James I. Records even exist showing that a ferry across Strangford Lough existed as far back as the 1180’s. The current service makes the 0.6nm crossing in around 8 minutes, a significant saving in time from the alternative 47 mile trip by road taking around 90 minutes. A first for Ireland The ferry between Strangford and Portaferry holds the distinction of having the first steam powered ferry in the whole of Ireland, the paddle steamer Lady of the Lake, as far back as 1836. This was some 36 years before Belfast got its first steam powered ferry. Lady of the lake was a paddle steamer built by Alexander McLaine in Belfast and launched ... Read more