Stena Line fleet movements

[Drama_king]

My last trip on The Stena Europe was in a Force 8 outward from Fishguard, and it felt like she had no stabilisation if that experience was anything to go by.

Usually, a strong swell hardly ever makes me feel ill but this time it did. In the year 2013 and considering the quality they have on other routes, I am amazed that Stena see it perfectly acceptable to place their customers on a heavily used and worn down vessel like the "Europe",  Just as larry said, they have many ships at disposal. I know people who opt for the Inishmore because of the worry of the "Europe" making them ill in a storm.

[giftgrub]

Your not the first person to remark in the lack of comfort on the Europe at the moment, a relative of mine travelled in the last few weeks and remarked that it was not a comfortable as previous crossings.

I think the number of crossings missed have more to do with a technical issue than the wind levels previously mentioned.

I hate to say this but I do think we are witnessing the endgame for the Rosslare - Fishguard service at the moment as the worlds leading ferry operator seem unable to provide the route with the ships it deserves.

They had the Stena Baltica laid up for over a year without trying it out on its old route despite it having had its bow thrusters upgraded and rear steering improved,converted to double deck loading, can carry haz freight and reduced level of cabins.

I think if Stena wanted they could have replaced the Europe with fresher tonnage long ago. If they do pull the route you can just imagine the usual reasons, traffic was declining, not enough passengers, not enough freight etc, how they expect to attract them when they are cancelling so many sailings and not offering the usual high standard of service that people expect will make it harder to attract the required customers.

There are quite a few vessels available this year through Stena RoRo and on the open market, it really is time Stena stepped up to the plate and invested in this service.

[Fast Ferry Fan]

If they do pull the route you can just imagine the usual reasons, traffic was declining, not enough passengers, not enough freight etc, how they expect to attract them when they are cancelling so many sailings and not.

Although I've only travelled to Fishguard and not Pembroke, I presume the route from Fishguard is actually superior because it offers fuel savings from a shorter crossing and additional revenue from Rail / Sail passengers (albeit small, I'm sure).  Therefore, I would have thought if the opportunity arose, IF would switch to Fishguard (unless they've heavily invested in Pembroke).  Stena's crossing map, with 3 links between Britain and Ireland, always looks impressive, and cutting one of them makes them look less connected.  Therefore, I would think it's unlikely Stena would simply relinquish Fishguard and it's more likely to limp along as present, seemingly without much of a plan.

[Caoimhin_McGuinnes]

Aha must have lad must have ! Do you work at irish ferries dublin ?

[Caoimhin_McGuinnes]

Sadly i would of been coming back in the lorry on the 2:40am sailing but not going to make it :( will be on 8:55 stena instead :( awhh well good times bad times

[Caoimhin_McGuinnes]

Two photos of the HSS VOYAGER on 6th april sorry when i said i would upload them and im only doin it now ! lol

[Robbie74656]

as if she was ready to leave!
looks good still. it'll be strange when she finally does leave
I guess we can all agree now that the jets are still attached?
Would've been nice if they could floor it to scandinavia under its own power, break a record or two.

do you guys think she will stop over at all when being towed at say rotterdam or something? Could be my chance to see her.

[Caoimhin_McGuinnes]

I know .. It maby would be cheaper possible ( might sound stupid as hss is a heavy boat to run) to run it to stena metals than send tugs to tow it .. sure the tugs would have to refuel somewere on the journey to stena metals ?

[Caoimhin_McGuinnes]

the jets r defo on as seen on pic 1  i think

[giftgrub]

The Waterjets mentioned in previous posts are not visible in these images as they are at the waterline, as per image below.

The turbines which vent through the exhaust are still on the HSS and will not be removed until the vessel is scrapped.

While is has been suggested that all four waterjets are still present and intact on the Voyager it was reported that major parts have been removed and also it is possible to ballast the HSS to bring the bow down and the stern up to faciliate this type of work. (still not an easy job though)

Waterjet image from Wikipedia

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Waterjet_on_HSS_Discovery.jpg

[giftgrub]

Also please find video of HSS Stena Explorer leaving Dun Laoghaire. The external parts of the waterjets can be can be clearly seen at work here turning the craft. There are also components inside the hulls that work the waterjet system so some of these parts could have been removed also.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zsNnVjdrns

[media width=600]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zsNnVjdrns [/media]

[20knots]

Re/ Rosslare-Fishguard & The Stena Europe

I've had similar concerns and thoughts over recent days and weeks with the number of cancellations that have occurred and feel it's fair comment to say they've reach a disproportionate level.

I agree with the very valid points made by Larry and others. I hope giftgrub's end game concern will not happen but it's a very real concern and I do feel in recent times we've transitioned from a period when the route's future was "safe" to one where a noticeable to all, unwelcome and potentially dangerous cloud is hovering over it. Now some black clouds can disperse and hopefully this is just a passing difficult phase.

The summer season is fast approaching and hopefully it will be a good summer both in meteorological and traffic terms. If however the summer turns into a list of cancellations it'll be a nasty blow for the route. If the problems continue and intensify into the Autumn and Winter well...

A replacement vessel needs to be deployed on the route before the end of the year - ideally by Autumn.

It would be nice to have a revamped port at Fishguard, possible new sailing schedule and new vessel in one go (would be a neat package in marketing terms) but with the present situation I believe the first two items can and indeed must wait.

The replacement vessel need not be a permanent replacement for the next decade (it may only be for a year or two) but it needs to appear on the route this year.

Once the core product is brought back to Stena's usual high standards and the new vessel has "settled in" attention can then focus on targeted measures to regain any lost traffic.

In terms of Sail and rail while the fare is low in revenue terms spending on board can bring that up - On occasions on the night sailing I've had a cabin and either bought a few items or had food. By no means have I been extravagant but have calculated that my onboard spend actually yielded Stena more than their share of the Sail and rail ticket.

I sincerely hope a positive announcement will be on the cards in the next few months and that these concerns can be put to rest. My points are not intended to be a criticism of Stena but are out of concern.

[giftgrub]

I hope you are right, with Stena's rumoured switch to a "Low Cost Operator" it might see the light and heavily promote the Rosslare - Fishguard service with unbeatable value for mid week returns, non landing night cruises, day trips, 48hr weekend tickets (especially with Cardiff joining Swansea in the Premiership), Oakwood trips combined with one night in Wales, better freight rates to take traffic from Dublin the potential is great for the future.

None of the above can happen unless the service becomes reliable again, I grew up watching the Stena Normandica/St Brendans morning departure (except Mondays, i think it skipped that sailing) and followed by the Felicity and KB which all ran a vastly more reliable service against B&I and Irish Ferries at the time.

I love sailing on the Europe and look forward to my next trip in Sept but the last few months level of cancellations have been shocking and I hope things do improve, it would be a pity if after 107 years in operation the Rosslare - Fishguard route was mismanged into oblivion.

One possible solution is the Norman Asturias which is due to finish its charter with LD Lines later this year, with some TLC and interior upgrading it would have potential and the extra speed could reduce crossing times to compensate for stern loading.

http://www.stenaroro.com/offering/Pages/Norman-Asturias.aspx

[larry]

there have been so many questions raised regarding the management of irish ferries but it must be said, fair is fair, a direct comparison of all aspects on the rosslare route of both companies makes stena line look like a laughing stock, its almost like the just want to write off the route asap

[Caoimhin_McGuinnes]

The actual waterjet  is not visable but you can see the wires if thats the right thing im seeing lol