Another ship with too many owners and hence in need of a lot of care and attention.

I hope they get to the bottom of all those technical problems that plaged her on  Dover - Calais.

We will only find out when it enters service but it is getting a full overhaul including new propellers etc so hopefully all technical areas will be looked at and sorted, as Stena own this vessel now there is no need to skimp on the refurbishment.

http://www.nauta.pl/index.php?stenas-ferry-conversion-at-nauta

Would expect crossing times to be the same as the Adventurer/Nordica at the moment, no point burning fuel unnecessarily.

Would expect crossing times to be the same as the Adventurer/Nordica at the moment, no point burning fuel unnecessarily.

Not much point calling her Superfast then either.

Would expect crossing times to be the same as the Adventurer/Nordica at the moment, no point burning fuel unnecessarily.

Not much point calling her Superfast then either.

Err, its a class of ship.  The pair up here don't run any faster either, and in fact have just been slowed down on the late night crossings.  Given her propellers are being changed for efficiency (like VII and VIII), expect crossing times to be the same. 

Stena are well aware of the technical issues she has had in the past (rumour has it they had a look over her when she was last in dry-dock early last year). She was never really suited to the intensive Dover-Calais route anyway - remember every other ship operating that service was purpose built for Dover.  It'll be interesting to see how the differences in layout versus her sisters work out.

Have All Three Superfast ships with Stena much Cabins for crew and passengers.

Have All Three Superfast ships with Stena much Cabins for crew and passengers.

Deck 9 is totally given over to crew accommodation.  There are berths for approximately 70.
On deck 10 there are 6 Superfast suites which adjoin the Nordic Spa.  I believe these suites are very popular with passengers, and can accommodate up to 5.  More info on them here: http://www.stenaline.co.uk/ferries/stena-superfast-vii/superfast-suites

Stena Superfast X will have more in the way of cabins though, due to the longer nature of her crossing.  I am not aware of how many yet.

Do you think they will keep the nordic spa on the Holyhead run,

Do you think they will keep the nordic spa on the Holyhead run,

If they do it will be a big selling point over her rivals.  TBH, I have no idea what condition this area is in as it and the rest of deck 10 was closed off (along with the suites and wraparound open deck) under DFDS and Seafrance.

I can't find again where I read last night about the Stena Europe and its replacement but this would be the correct topic. The suggestion was that a Holland built ship with Stena would be taking over the route - I presume this refers to the Stena Jutlandica. This would be a great development for the route which often seems to have been considered the poor cousin and highlights Stena's commitment to it. It would also be very fitting to have it on the same corridor as the IOI!

Last time I used the Rosslare to Wales routes I was thinking that when you looked at the number of cars waiting to board they'd be as well having a joint service.

Last time I used the Rosslare to Wales routes I was thinking that when you looked at the number of cars waiting to board they'd be as well having a joint service.

It's been the case for years, going as far back as the days when it was a joint service!

Southern Corridor addition:

Cork - Roscoff - May to Oct incl. - Brittany Ferries - Pont Aven.

Latest official (via Shippax) figures show that Stena have had a strong double digit growth in passengers, cars, and buses on Dublin - Holyhead during April, whilst everyone else is down with the exception of marginal growth in car numbers for Irish Ferries and a downward trend overall.  It appears that the marketing offensive may be working!  No indications on the freight side, as both IF and Stena report quarterly now.

I wonder do those  big increases  in Stena figures  for April have anything to do with dun laoghaire  not being in the picture  so as Easter was April. Let's say the 30,000 odd who would of used dunlaoghaire basically transferring to Stena  in Dublin port ,  it would be interesting to see what the increase is when  you compare figures for last April. With dunlaoghaire included and this April with only Dublin port. But even it is a bit down to that ,it's good news for Stena as it shows the vast majority of their customers have stayed with them and moved to Dublin port. And not great news for Irish ferries

I wonder do those  big increases  in Stena figures  for April have anything to do with dun laoghaire  not being in the picture  so as Easter was April. Let's say the 30,000 odd who would of used dunlaoghaire basically transferring to Stena  in Dublin port ,  it would be interesting to see what the increase is when  you compare figures for last April. With dunlaoghaire included and this April with only Dublin port. But even it is a bit down to that ,it's good news for Stena as it shows the vast majority of their customers have stayed with them and moved to Dublin port. And not great news for Irish ferries

Thats most probably exactly what the figures indicate.  However, it is early days yet.
I forgot to mention that both operators are significantly down on passengers and cars on the southern corridor routes.

Latest official (via Shippax) figures show that Stena have had a strong double digit growth in passengers, cars, and buses on Dublin - Holyhead during April, whilst everyone else is down with the exception of marginal growth in car numbers for Irish Ferries.

A "Double digit" increase could be as low as 10%, whereas a "Strong Double digit increase" could be interpreted as meaning 15%+.
On this basis, I would describe the 8% increase in IF car numbers as better than "marginal".

If I was to hazard a guess as to where the Dun Laoghaire traffic will go, I would say:
- 50% will be retained and transferred to Stena's Dublin sailings (as long as DL does not re-open to alternative provider)
- 25% will go to Irish Ferries (mainly Swift)
- 25% will use Fly / Drive
I also assume it will lose as many customers as it generates new customers.