Yeats delayed again

[Steven]

12 JUN 2018
Press Release 12th June 2018 3pm 

Irish Ferries Regrets to Announce Further Delay to W.B. Yeats

German shipbuilder, Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft & Co.KG (FSG), has advised Irish Ferries of a further delay to the delivery of the W.B. Yeats

New ship was due to commence sailings between Ireland and France from the 30th July 2018

Irish Ferries regrets to announce that, due to extraordinary circumstances beyond its control, the delivery of the W.B. Yeats has been further delayed by FSG. Because of the uncertainty caused by this additional delay, Irish Ferries has no option but to cancel all the planned sailings to France for W.B. Yeats this Summer, with the ship now likely to commence sailing with Irish Ferries on Dublin / Holyhead as scheduled in September. Irish Ferries is contacting affected customers this afternoon to inform them of the cancellations, offer them alternative travel options, and apologise for the disruption to their travel arrangements.

Approximately 6,000 bookings will be impacted by this issue.  Customers affected are being offered a number of alternative travel options e.g. alternative direct sailings on the Oscar Wilde, or a 'land-bridge' option i.e. sailing to the UK (from either Dublin or Rosslare) and then to France (Customers who choose the land-bridge option, will also be reimbursed the cost of their fuel requirements from the port of arrival in the UK to the port of arrival in France).If alternative travel arrangements do not suit, customers will, of course, be entitled to a full and immediate refund of all monies paid.

Irish Ferries was previously forced to cancel July sailings for the W.B. Yeats when they were informed in April by FSG, of the initial delay.  Approximately 2,500 bookings were impacted by the earlier cancellation, however, 95% of those chose to switch to Irish Ferries' other cruise ferry, the Oscar Wilde.

Irish Ferries very much regrets the inconvenience these cancellations cause our customers and hopes that as many as possible will choose to be accommodated via the company's alternative arrangements and continue with their holiday plans. As valued customers of Irish Ferries, we are offering each affected customer a €150 voucher which can be used on any of our Ireland-France routes next year.

Irish Ferries is contacting customers directly, however, any customers who wish to contact Irish Ferries can call +353 (0) 818 300 400 or email customersupport@irishferries.com.

[Steven]

Hate to say I said so but.....

Looks like it'll be EPSILON inaugurating the weekday Dublin to France sailings.  A lot of very disappointed customers I imagine.  Let's hope they are more ready for the onslaught of changes this time.

[IFPete]

This is sad for the shipyards reputation. I guess Brittany Ferries will be concerned about their ships delivery too.

Hopefully when WB Yeats is finally delivered she will have all the bugs sorted out.

[ferryfan]

Press Release from FSG

FSG New Build "W.B. Yeats":
Entry into service is scheduled for September 2018
Due to delays in the delivery of interior components for public areas and on the
electrical system installation in the hull and deckhouse, work on the new build NB771
"W.B. Yeats" will continue for a few weeks. Entry into service is now planned for
September 2018. The Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft (FSG) has openly
informed its customer, Irish Continental Group (ICG).
Rüdiger Fuchs, CEO of FSG, says: "All the key functions of our shipyard and our key
suppliers are on the ship, and meet daily to ensure direct and efficient
communication. Our team is fully focused on completing this first of two large
passenger ferries which ICG has ordered from FSG." To overcome delays in the
delivery of interior components intended for the public areas of the ferry, FSG has
made additional funds available to pay second level suppliers directly.
About the building process: Construction of the "W.B. Yeats" is currently in the final
stages. The shipbuilding contract was signed in May 2016, with the first steel cutting
in April 2017, and keel laying in September 2017. The hull was floated on
19 January 2018, subsequently the passenger blocks were fitted on the hull using a
floating crane and then welded into place.
Facts and figures for the new build NB771 "W.B. Yeats":
194,8 metres length
31,6 metres breadth
54,975 gross tons
33,600 kilowatts main engine power
1,885 passengers and crew
455 passenger cabins plus 60 crew cabins
2,8 kilometres of lane
Fitted with scrubbers to clean ship emissions
Flensburg, 12 June 2018


2

Press Contact:
Schellenberg & Kirchberg PR
Cord Schellenberg
Telephone +49 40 59350500
mail@schellenberg-kirchberg-pr.de
Photo caption: New build NB771 "W.B. Yeats" at

[Steven]

This is sad for the shipyards reputation. I guess Brittany Ferries will be concerned about their ships delivery too.

Hopefully when WB Yeats is finally delivered she will have all the bugs sorted out.

I don't think BAI have too much to be concerned about yet, assuming FSG iron out the issues with their contractors.  This has been an issue in fit-out and HONFLEUR isn't even on the slipway yet

[IFPete]

I wonder if some interior specialists from Newry will get some work on the next project.

[Chef]

Call me old fashioned , but using a name for a ship which is already in use was a bad idea .

[Steven]

I wonder if some interior specialists from Newry will get some work on the next project.

MJM?  I doubt it tbh.  If the parts aren't there it doesn't matter who's fitting them at the end of the day anyway (I understand the issues are rather simplified in the press release, as you'd expect I suppose).

[IFPete]

From the FSG Press release it sounded like some of the smaller suppliers had not been paid, hense the lack of shipment of the parts. There is a failure in project management or perhaps cash flow in this instance.

[Steven]

From the FSG Press release it sounded like some of the smaller suppliers had not been paid, hense the lack of shipment of the parts. There is a failure in project management or perhaps cash flow in this instance.

Project management is outsourced.  TBH it could happen to any yard in the world.

The press release is less specific than first seems.