Stena Line - New Tonnage for North Channel

Started by ScottMackey, March 05, 2011, 05:25:28 PM

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giftgrub

Stena Lines new services are scheduled to start in November. Announced on their Facebook Site today

Our new port and Superfast Ferries are due to begin operation in November, but an exact date has yet to confirmed. As soon as we know we will update our website and announce it on our Stena Line UK and Stena Line IE Facebook pages!

giftgrub

The Superfast vessels are finishing their summer season with Tallink today (14th August) and are expected to be handed over to Stena Line for conversion early this week, where the ships will sail to Poland for the work to be carried out.

Images of the Superfast VIII leaving Finland for the final time on this site

https://sites.google.com/site/baloossite/other-pictures/superfast

giftgrub

#32
The Superfast VII which is in the port of Muuga, in Estonia is due to arrive in Gdansk at the weekend to begin its conversion for use by Stena Line.

I assume the Superfast VIII is also going to arrive at a similar time.


giftgrub

#33
Both vessels now in Gdansk shipyard, next stop the Irish Sea in November.

Superfast VIII arriving in Gdansk on the 22/08/2011

http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/showallphotos.aspx?imo=9198953

Andrew White

Was wondering if a timetable for the new Belfast – Cairnryan timetable is available even a proposed timetable. With the service due to be introduce in November 2011 I thought the Stenaline website would be updated by now.  As you can still book on the website sailing to Stranaer in November 2011 - January 2012.

giftgrub

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business/business-news/newry-firm-to-fit-out-stenas-next-generation-of-superfast-ferries-16040415.html

A CO Down firm is to fit out two huge ferries which will be crossing the Irish Sea later this year.
The sister ships Stena Superfast VII and Superfast VIII will be the biggest ferries ever to sail between Northern Ireland and Scotland on the Belfast-Cairnryan route and will undergo a refurbishment at the Remotova shipyard in Poland.

Stena Line has appointed specialist marine outfitters MJM Marine from Newry to carry out the work.

Paul Grant, Stena Line's route director, said the firm will be launching a new purpose-built port and terminal at Cairnryan in November as well as introducing the two new ships onto the route.

"It will be a huge milestone for this service and the culmination of an ongoing investment programme which started with the construction of our new terminal at VT4 in Belfast back in 2008," he said.

"The ship layout will also be changed to accommodate our freight customers and, for the first time on the route, there will be no deck height restrictions, which means that we can accommodate virtually any load our freight customers have.

"We believe that this will provide us with a unique competitive advantage in the market."

The new vessels will each be able to accommodate 1,200 passengers, 660 cars or 110 freight units and will operate up to 12 daily departures between Belfast and Cairnryan, all year round




giftgrub

Timetable for the New Superfast service is now online

http://www.stenaline.co.uk/ferry/routes/belfast-stranraer/timetable

Superfast crossing time from 2 hrs 15 mins

Sailing Times 22 November - 24 December

Latest Check-in Times
Superferry/Stena HSS/Superfast      30 minutes

Andrew White

#37
Good to see a local firm win the contract do the refit for the superfast ferries.  When are the two boats due to Belfast to start the refit or where is refit happening, as see from Ship Map AIS there are dock in Gdansk.  Is the paint work being completed in Belfast or is this being done now in Gdansk.

giftgrub

Hard to believe but Stena Line are now 2 years into their 3 year charter of the Superfast vessels on the North Channel operation. They have an option for another year, one would think with the vast amount of money they spent converting the ships to a day ferry configuration taking a fourth year will be an easy decision.

original announcement from Tallink

http://www.nasdaqomxbaltic.com/market/?pg=details&instrument=EE3100004466&list=2&tab=news&news_id=247233

Tallink Grupp                  Company Announcement                   07.03.2011

Chartering of Superfast vessels



Tallinn, 2011-03-07 08:50 CET (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Chartering of Superfast
vessels

The subsidiaries of AS Tallink Grupp, Baltic SF VII Ltd and Baltic SF VIII Ltd
have concluded the charter agreements with Stena Line Ltd for M/S Superfast VII
and M/S Superfast VIII. The vessels will be delivered after the end of the high
season in August 2011. Until then they are operated on their current route by
Tallink. The agreed charter period is three years with the charterers' option
to extend for one additional year. The vessels will be operated in the UK
waters.

Tallink has been operating M/S Superfast VII and M/S Superfast VIII between
Finland and Germany since April 2006. As a result of the increased competition
on the route, the increased fuel prices and global recession in the past few
years the financial result of Finland-Germany segment of Tallink has become
negative. For the 2009/2010 financial year Tallink reported a loss of EUR 14
million from this segment. The prospective charter will improve the result of
these vessels so that they will be generating a profit.


Marine Atlantic have recently extended their charter of the sister ship Superfast IX for an extra year.

https://newsclient.omxgroup.com/cdsPublic/viewDisclosure.action?disclosureId=569620&messageId=703591

Charter of Superfast IX

Tallinn, 2013-08-22 08:50 CEST (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A subsidiary of AS Tallink Grupp, Baltic SF IX Limited and Marine Atlantic Inc, a Canadian company with the state participation therein, have concluded to extend the charter agreement of Superfast IX for one year, until November 2014. Marine Atlantic Inc plans to continue operating the vessel in the Canadian waters under the name of M/S Atlantic Vision.

M/S Superfast IX has been on the long-term bareboat charter since November 14, 2008.