Irish Ferries ULYSSES left Dublin for Gdańsk earlier today for her 2020 refit. It’s is expected that the 2001-built ship will be fitted with exhaust gas scrubbers while in Poland, allowing her to continue to burn conventional fuel oil and still comply with the new emissions limits imposed on the Irish Sea and elsewhere from this month. According to Gdańsk Pilots, ULYSSES will arrive at the Remontowa shipyard in the city on Thursday January 9. She will join Brittany Ferries PONT AVEN at Remontowa which is scheduled to arrive at the yard tomorrow.
The arrival of Stena RoRo’s STENA FORETELLER on charter has allowed EPSILON to switch to the Dublin to Holyhead route to take over from W.B YEATS. The latter has now moved on to ULYSSES‘ normal schedule. During her period with Irish Ferries, STENA FORETELLER will complete two round trips between Dublin and Cherbourg during the week, before releasing EPSILON from the Holyhead route so the latter can complete a weekend round trip to France.
Once ULYSSES returns from Poland in mid-February, W.B YEATS will switch to the Rosslare – Pembroke Dock route so ISLE OF INISHMORE can also go for dry docking. She is also expected to be fitted with scrubbers while in Gdańsk. As STENA FORETELLER is a Ro-Ro freight vessel, no non-commercial driver passengers will be carried on the Dublin – France route on weekdays during the refit relief period.
On completion of the refit period, three of Irish Ferries’ 4 conventional vessels (W.B YEATS, ULYSSES, and ISLE OF INISHMORE) will be fitted with scrubbers. The remaining conventional vessel, EPSILON, is chartered and not owned by the company. She currently scheduled to be replaced by a new vessel later in the year, though it appears construction has not yet been started with a formal announcement yet to be made by either Irish Ferries or the Flensburger shipyard which won the contract. The fast-craft DUBLIN SWIFT remains moored in Holyhead having undergone maintenance while alongside at the port last year.
