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Stena Adventurer
The Stena Adventurer entered service in March 2003 on the Dublin Holyhead route with room for up to 1,500 day passengers. Styled as the Seapacer class by Stena, her and her sister (Stena Britannica), the came from the same yard that built the 11 Stena Searunners in the 1970s and both have over 3,517 lane meters on four decks. When introduced, she brought a much needed 20% increase to freight space to meet demand for, in peculiar, the night departure from Holyhead. The Adventurer took over an Irish Sea service developed by the chartered Stena Forwarder (2001/25,000gt), now operating between the USA and Mexico as California Star. New double deck loading ramps were also constructed in both Holyhead and Dublin to speed up turn arrounds. Stena Caledonia
Now the last survivor in home waters of four ferries built by Harland & Wolff for Sealink English Channel and Irish Sea services, Stena Caledonia was completed as St David for use to Ireland from Holyhead and Fishguard but also relieved on the Larne-Stranraer run and had spell at Dover serving Calais and Ostend. From 1986 she joined sister vessel Galloway Princess at Stranraer and by the time of renaming to Stena Caledonia in 1990 the Northern Ireland port had been switched to Belfast. Since Galloway Princess, later Stena Galloway, was sold to Moroccan owners as Le Rif in 2002. Stena Caledonia has been the route's only conventional ship sailing in support of the catamaran Stena Voyager. The remaining ships of the series Stena Antrim (ex-St Christopher) is now Limadet's Ibn Batoutta with Stena Cambria (ex-St Anselm) going to Umifasa's Balaeric routes as Isla de Botafoc.
Stena Europe
Stena Europe operates from Rosslare, also home port of her sister ship, now Irish Ferries' Normandy. Ordered by Sessan Line, Stena Europe was completed as Kronprinsessan Victoria but taken-over by Stena Line and following a short spell on her designed route between Gothenburg and Frederikshavn was fitted with extra cabins and placed on the Gothenburg-Kiel link in 1982, continuing until a move to Frederikshavn-Oslo services as Stena Saga between 1989 and 1994. Next came a spell as Stena Europe from Harwich to the Hook of Holland for Stena's Dutch subsidiary until a switch as Lion Europe to Lion Ferry's Baltic service from Karlskrona, Sweden to Gdynia, Poland. The name Stena Europe was restored when Stena scrapped Lion Ferry branding in 1998 and in 2002, after removal of extra cabins from the 1980s to increase vehicle space, she changed places with Koningin Beatrix (1986/31,189gt), now Stena Baltica, and took over the Rosslare-Fishguard route.
Stena Leader
Although ordered by Stena Line, the vessel was bought by P&O during construction and entered service as Buffalo on Pandoro's IrishSea service between Liverpool and Dublin. A mid-body section was added to increase capacity in 1989 and after switching to Larne-Fleetwood, a further lengthening of 15m took place in 1998 when her titles changed to P&O Irish Sea and she was renamed the "European Leader". She was transferred to Stena after their takeover of the Larne-Fleetwood route in 2004.
Stena Pioneer
Originally to have been chartered from Stena Line by Pandoro, this vessel was purchased before completion and joined the Buffalo on the Dublin-Liverpool freight route as Bison. For four years from 1989 the service became a joint operation between Pandoro and P&I Line with the Bison operating with the B&I. Capacity was increased through the creation of a full height upper vehicle deck in 1995 with the name "European Pioneer being introduced two years later. Her accommodation was upgraded in 2000 during dry-docking at A&P Falmouth. She joined Stena after their takeover of the Larne-Fleetwood route in 2004.
Stena Seafarer
The third in a series of freight ships built for Stena in Hamburg, the Stena Seafarer spent her early years in New Zealand - Australia as Union Melbourne for the Union Steamship Company of New Zealand. She arrived on the Irish Sea in 1980 after being chartered by Pandoro's Liverpool-Dublin route as Puma. She was renamed the European Seafarer in 1998, and switched to the Fleetwood-Larne run, and in 2001 spent time on Rosslare-Cherbourg before the arrival of the European Diplomat in 2002. She was transferred to Stena after their takeover of the Larne-Fleetwood route in 2004.
Fast Ferries Stena Explorer
Stena Lynx III
Stena Voyager
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Irish Ferries Enthusiasts 2003 - 2008
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