Stena Line and P&O Ferries will take their Cairnryan vessels out of service for scheduled maintenance and annual survey work during January and May respectively this year. With all 4 vessels having received extended attention at dry dock last year it is only necessary to take them out of service for a weekend each.
Update 11/01/18: Initially NIFS reported that all 4 vessels would only receive in-water surveys this year as this was the information available at the time. However it is now understood that the Stena vessels will have a brief visit to Belfast dry dock for their surveys, while the P&O vessels are still expected to have in-water surveys at Larne. At present it seems neither company will provide a cover vessel, with quiet weekends chosen in order to minimise the impact of having a vessel absent.
STENA SUPERFAST VIII will be taken out of service this coming Saturday (13/01/18) upon arrival at Belfast at 06:00, returning to service with the 11:30 from Belfast to Cairnryan the following day. This means that on Saturday the 07:30 and 15:30 sailings from Belfast and 11:30 and 19:30 sailings from Cairnryan are cancelled. The 19:30 sailing from Belfast (and 23:00 from Cairnryan) operated by STENA SUPERFAST VII is also cancelled to allow that vessel to cover her sisters important 23:00 sailing from Belfast. The timetable for this coming Saturday then is as follows:
| Stena Line Belfast – Cairnryan 13/01/18 | |||
| Belfast departure | Vessel | Cairnryan departure | Vessel |
| 03:30 | SSF 7 | 03:45 | SSF8 |
| – | – | 07:30 | SSF7 |
| 11:30 | SSF7 | – | – |
| – | – | 15:30 | SSF7 |
| – | – | – | – |
| 23:00 | SSF7 | – | – |
Next Saturday, 20th January, STENA SUPERFAST VII will be off service following her arrival in Belfast at 01:45, returning to service with the 07:30 sailing from Belfast the following day. All sailings on 20th of January will be operated by STENA SUPERFAST VIII, with the timetable looking like this:
| Stena Line Belfast – Cairnryan 20/01/18 | |||
| Belfast departure | Vessel | Cairnryan departure | Vessel |
| – | – | 03:45 | SSF8 |
| 07:30 | SSF8 | – | – |
| – | – | 11:30 | SSF8 |
| 15:30 | SSF8 | – | – |
| – | – | 19:30 | SSF8 |
| 23:00 | SSF8 | – | – |
P&O will have a revised timetable in operation over the weekends of 5th/6th May and 26th/27th May to allow EUROPEAN CAUSEWAY and EUROPEAN HIGHLANDER to be taken out of service.
