Stena Hibernia and Stena Scotia (Vessel profile)
An overview of the Stena Line freight ferries STENA SCOTIA and STENA HIBERNIA. Includes history, technical information, and photographs of the Belfast based sisters.
Stena Line
Stena Line is a Northern European ferry operator. The company is headquartered in Sweden and is part of family owned Stena AB. Stena Line’s route network is concentrated in Scandinavia, The Baltic, The North Sea, and Irish Sea.
Following it’s takeover of Sealink British Ferries during 1990/01, Stena Line has expanded and modernised services around the British Isles.
On the Irish Sea, Stena Line runs ferries to Belfast from Liverpool (Birkenhead), Cairnryan (Loch Ryan Port), and the Freight only service from Heysham. Stena Line also runs ferries between Rosslare and both Fishguard and Cherbourg, as well as Dublin and Holyhead. The company has the largest route network on the Irish Sea.
Stena Line also has an extensive network on the North Sea, including the former railway route between Harwich and Hoek van Holland.
Bad news about the former Stena Antrim (updated)
In particularly sad news for Belfast and Northern Ireland, one of the final passenger vessels built by Harland and Wolff could soon be headed to a beach somewhere for scrapping. The Ibn Batouta (ex Stena Antrim, St Christopher) is one of 4 ferries which have been laid up in Algericas for over 2 years following the failure of owners COMARIT. The port authority is now pushing for them to be declared abandoned so they can be removed and auctioned to the highest bidder. The most likely destination considering the age and condition of the 4 ships is for scrap. Between 1991 and 1996 Stena Antrim served to Stranraer, first from Larne and then from Belfast when Stena moved there in 1995. Of the other veseels (Al Mansour, Banasa, and Boughaz) Al Mansour also served in Irish waters as Stena Nautica for both Sealink and B&I line between Fishguard and Wales. … Read more
Update on the former Stena Navigator
The former Stena Navigator (ex Seafrance Manet (SeaFrance), Stena Parisien (Sealink Stena Line), Champs Elysees (SNCF/Sealink) which left the Belfast – Stranraer service when the Stena Superfast‘s entered service has been renamed again. Until November she had been operating as Balearia’s Daniya (Arabic for Denia) between Denia – San Antonio – Palma, and Denia – San Antonio – Barcelona, however following a change of route to Ceuta – Algeciras she was renamed Poeta López Anglada in November. The ship has retained much of its Stena decor, including the “Curious George” children’s play area and “Barista” coffee lounge. Currently Poeta López Anglada is operating the 2 hour voyage between Alcudia (Majorca) and Ciuadela de Menorca (Minorca) Monday to Saturday, and operates between Barcelona and Menorca at weekends after a further change of route in December. Link to ships profile on the Balearia website
STENA SUPERFAST VII and STENA SUPERFAST VIII
Your guide to Stena Line’s Belfast to Cairnryan passenger and freight ferries ‘Stena Superfast VII’ and ‘Stena Superfast VIII’.
The Fleetwood three – An obituary. Goodbye Buffalo, Puma, and Bison
Ant 1, Ant 2, and Anna Marine (originally Buffalo, Union Melbourne (later Puma), and Bison) spent most of their careers together operating to Fleetwood from Larne first for Pandoro/P&O and then Stena Line between 1980 and 2011. They were also beached together during February 2014 after 39 years service.
