Belfast to Heysham
Stena Line Dry Dock update / temporary timetable change
Stena Performer entered Harland and Wolff’s Belfast Dry Dock this morning, re-commencing Stena Line’s Irish Sea refit program for 2017. Sister-ship Stena Precision will follow once Stena Performer has finished. Stena Precision is due back in service on the 2nd of May so I assume Performer will not dry dock until around the 20th. Birkenhead service timetable change For the duration of this final dry dock period, there will be no Belfast to Birkenhead freight shoulder service.  However, Stena Lagan and Stena Mersey will operate a full timetable of 2 daily sailings each way. This includes on Mondays when normally there is only one sailing each way with the vessels laying over in the morning/afternoon.  Stena Hibernia will work the Belfast-Heysham freight service opposite whichever of the 2 FSG sister ships is not in dry dock for the duration. Title image: Stena Performer in drydock April 2017.  Copyright © Scott Mackey. ... 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
Sailing update: Storm Desmond sailing delays and cancellations.
Ferries cancelled or delayed due to adverse weather on services from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Early Saturday morning update (3am): in addition to the delays and cancellations below, Stena Superfast X’s 02:30 departure from Dublin and 08:55 from Holyhead, and Stena Europe’s 09:00 from Rosslare have been cancelled due to weather conditions. Irish Ferries 01:15 from Dublin to Holyhead has been delayed, having left Dublin just a few minutes ago, whilst all sailings from Rosslare to Pembroke on Saturday are either cancelled or in doubt.  Ulysses scheduled departure from Holyhead at 02:40 has been missed, and she is still on the berth at the Welsh port.  P&O’s Norbay looks to be running behind schedule between Liverpool and Dublin. Below is a snapshot of how things stand at present (19:20 Friday 4th December 2015). As always if you plan to travel, please contact your chosen operator directly for the latest sailing ... Read more
Stena in Belfast – Celebrating 20 years of Stena Line operating from Belfast.
20th anniversary of Stena Line switching the historic Larne – Stranraer service to Belfast. Today marks 20 years from the last sailing of what was then Stena Sealink Line, into the Port of Larne from Scotland, with tomorrow the anniversary of the first Stena ferry sailing from Belfast. Few could have predicted at the time that 20 years, and 2 bespoke Belfast-Scotland terminals later, Stena Line would also offer services from Belfast to Birkenhead and Heysham, as well as operating a pair of 203 metre long ferries to Scotland from Belfast. Just six weeks after the switch, on the 31st December 1995, the “Sealink” name would disappear altogether with all UK operations being rebranded as “Stena Line”. Of course, things have also changed dramatically at Larne. No longer Northern Ireland’s premier ferry port, Stena’s rise at Belfast has been somewhat mirrored by P&O’s decline at Larne. The services to Fleetwood and ... Read more
Seacat Danmark | Former SeaCat Ferry
Seacat Danmark (also known as Golden Blaze, Zara Jet, Pescara Jet, SeaCatamaran Danmark, Hoverspeed Boulogne, Hoverspeed Belgium) The 4th and final but one of Hoverspeed’s 74m “Seacat” car carrying catamarans built by International Catamarans (InCat) in Australia, was launched as SEACAT BELGIUM on February 15th 1991. All 5 of these vessels where built to the same “Mark 1” design and specification, with a further 4 built afterwards for other operators to modified specifications. SEACAT BELGIUM commenced service on the 18th of March 1992 between Dover and Calais/Boulogne having been renamed HOVERSPEED BOULOGNE. On April 11th 1992 she moved to inaugurate the new Folkestone to Boulogne route, where she stayed until she moved to the North Channel in April 1993 to operate between Belfast and Stranraer. In May 1993 she was again renamed, this time to SEACATAMARAN DANMARK, and moved to Scandinavia to operate between Fredrikshavn and Gothenburg. However, due to ice she could ... Read more
Storm Rachel sailing updates (NI)
With gusts up to 100mph expected, the following is the latest information available from the different operators websites.  As always please check with the operator for the latest info: EDIT: P&O have now cancelled all sailings to and from Cairnryan up to and including the 07:30 departure on 15/1/15 in both directions. Stena  Line Belfast-Birkenhead 10:30 ex Belfast – Delayed 22:30 ex Belfast – Cancelled 10:30 ex Birkenhead – Delayed 22:30 ex Birkenhead – Delayed by 90 minutes at time of writing Cancelled 15/1/15 10:30 ex Belfast: Running (as of 01:06) 15/1/15 10:30 ex Birkenhead:  Cancelled Belfast – Cairnryan (LRP) 19:30 ex Belfast: Cancelled 23:30: ex Belfast: Cancelled 19:30 ex Cairnryan: Cancelled 23:30: ex Cairnryan: Cancelled 15/1/15 04:00 (both directions): Cancelled 15/1/15 07:30 (both directions): In doubt.  Please contact Stena directly for latest info. P&O Larne – Cairnryan As of 16:04 (last update), all services are currently running on time All sailings in both directions on ... Read more
Stena Line dry dock update
As of last weekend, four of Stena’s Irish Sea ships should have completed overhauls: Stena Performer, Stena Mersey, Stena Lagan and Stena Hibernia. Stena Hibernia had been expected to resume service to Liverpool (Birkenhead) at 15:00hrs on Monday, but is still at Harland & Wolff. Stena Precision is currently en-route from Birkenhead to Belfast so may well swap places with Hibernia after discharging in Belfast as she is the next vessel scheduled to visit Harland & Wolff. Stena Superfast VIII and then Stena Superfast VII are expected to visit Harland & Wolff in March with Stena Nordica providing cover on the North Channel service following being displaced on the Dublin – Holyhead route by Stena Superfast X. Of 7 ships a total of 6 have been/will be handled by Harland & Wolff – Stena Lagan being the exception as she went to A&P Falmouth in December as the H&W where busy handling ... Read more