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Irish Sea News

16 Feb 2024

Stena Line Commences Dublin-Liverpool Freight Route

Source: Stena Line

Swedish ferry operator, Stena Line has officially commenced its new Dublin – Liverpool (Birkenhead) freight service. The addition of the new route is expected to further boost the company’s freight volumes following a record year on its Irish Sea services in 2023.The return service will operate daily from Dublin in the morning, making the evening return journey from 12 Quays terminal in Birkenhead.The addition of the new service will be Stena Line’s seventh route in the Irish Sea region complementing its Belfast - Cairnryan…

23 Jan 2024

Offshore Wind Vessels Charging Study Gets Underway in Irish Sea

(Credit: Stillstrom)

Maersk’s offshore vessel-charging venture Stillstrom has launched a collaborative study with EnBW and BP, the developers of the Morgan and Mona offshore wind farms, to assess the viability of integrating offshore charging solutions for service and crew transfer vessels for the two projects.The study will evaluate the operational, technical, and economic viability of integrating offshore charging solutions for Service Operation Vessels (SOVs) and Crew Transfer Vessels (CTVs) into…

15 Jan 2024

N-Sea Charters Geo Plus' Survey and ROV Support Vessel

Geo Ranger (Photo: N-Sea)

Subsea solutions provider N-Sea Group announced it has entered into an agreement with Geo Plus to long term charter the Dutch flagged vessel Geo Ranger, a hybrid survey and ROV support vessel.The Geo Ranger will accompany the Geo Focus which is already under N-Sea management and control.The fuel efficient vessel Geo Ranger is equipped with smart on-board technology, comprising various different sensors and a plug-and-play system for additional, project-specific customer equipment.With DP station keeping capabilities…

27 Nov 2023

UK Offshore Wind and CCS Colocation Projects Underway

Source: Offshore Colocation Forum

The UK Offshore Wind and Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Colocation Forum, set up to provide strategic coordination of colocation research and activity on the nation’s seabed, has commissioned two research projects. The projects are designed to inform the best approach to test and demonstrate the colocation of offshore wind and CCS activities in the future.To achieve the UK’s net zero targets, the UK Government is targeting the delivery of 50 gigawatts of offshore wind energy and the capture of 20-30 million tons of CO2 per year by 2030.

13 Sep 2023

Wärtsilä to Equip World’s First Methanol-fuelled Hybrid RoRo Vessels

The ships will be the world’s first methanol fuelled hybrid RoRo vessels and will operate in the Stena Line Irish Sea system (illustrated - © Stena RoRo).

Finland-based marine technology group Wärtsilä will supply an integrated hybrid propulsion system for two new world’s first methanol-fuelled hybrid RoRo vessels The ships are being built at the China Merchants Jinling shipyard (Weihai) Co., Ltd for the Swedish shipping company Stena RoRo. The ships will operate in the Stena Line Irish Sea system. Each vessel will be equipped with two Wärtsilä 32M multi-fuel engines capable of operating on methanol fuel and with ammonia-ready notation.

31 May 2023

New Hybrid RoRo Ships Ordered for Stena Line

A NewMax ship in Heysham Port (Rendering by Peter Mild, courtesy Stena Line)

On behalf of Stena Line, Stena RoRo has designed and ordered two hybrid cargo ships from the Chinese shipyard CMI Jinling in Weihai. The ships can be powered by methanol or conventional fuel and have been developed in line with future environmental requirements, for example by using batteries as a future means of propulsion. Major emphasis has been placed on optimizing the cargo capacity, which has been increased by 80%.The 147-meter-long vessels have been specially designed for Stena Line's route between Belfast and Heysham on the Irish Sea and therefore have enhanced maneuverability.

10 May 2023

Stena Line Building Two New Ships for Irish Sea Service

(Image: Stena Line)

Ferry operator Stena Line announced it is building two new freight vessels for its expanding Belfast-Heysham freight service.Each of the two new 147-meter NewMax vessels has been designed to maximize freight volumes and will provide 2,800 lane meters of capacity which is an 80% increase on current ship capacities. The new vessels will be equipped to carry 12 passengers and 26 crew.The vessels will be able to operate on methanol fuel. Stena Line is currently working closely with…

27 Feb 2023

EnBW and BP Looking to Build Low-emission Vessels for Offshore Wind Maintentance

Image for illustration only - ©twixter/AdobeStock

BP and EnBW are collaborating with research and development experts at the UK-based Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult to investigate using zero- or low-emission support vessels at offshore wind farms.The two companies are jointly developing three offshore wind projects in two UK locations – ‘Morven’, a potential 2.9GW lease area off the east coast of Scotland, and ‘Morgan’ and ‘Mona’ within a 3GW area in the Irish Sea. The offshore wind farms will require maintenance support from Service Operation Vessels (SOVs) and Crew Transfer Vessels (CTVs).According to ORE Catapult…

17 Feb 2023

Stena Line Inks Deal to Operate Birkenhead Terminal Until 2100

(Photo: Stena Line)

One of Europe’s largest ferry route and port operators, Stena Line, said it has signed a new deal with U.K. port operator Peel Ports to operate its 12 Quays port and ferry terminal in Birkenhead until the beginning of the 22nd Century. The Swedish company has operated twice daily ferry services to Belfast since 2011 and this new deal will see them continue to operate there for at least another 77 years, until 2100.The value of the deal has not been disclosed.Stena Line operates six routes and 12 vessels across the region and Birkenhead has been a key focus for investment in recent years.

24 Jan 2023

Montrose Port Takes Delivery of its First Newbuild Pilot Boat

South Esk is the Montrose Port Authority's first ever newly built pilot boat. (Photo: Montrose Port Authority)

Montrose Port Authority at the end of 2022 welcomed into service its first ever purpose-built pilot boat, South Esk.The new £800,000 vessel was constructed by Safehaven Marine, in Youghal, Ireland and completed its sea trials at the Port of Cork before making its way to Montrose by traveling across the Irish Sea to Oban, around the top of Scotland and down the East coast.The Interceptor 48 model launch is the first newbuild pilot boat in Montrose’s 200-year trust port history…

28 Nov 2022

Stena Line Expands Its Ireland-France Ferry Service

(Photo: Stena Line)

Stena Line announced it is increasing capacity Ireland-France route with the addition of an extra vessel starting in June 2023.“Ahead of what is expected to be a busy summer in 2023, we will be doubling our sailing frequency and tripling our passenger capacity for tourists on our Rosslare – Cherbourg service as well significantly increasing freight capacity,” said Paul Grant, Irish Sea Trade Director at Stena Line.“We’ve seen increased demand for more services and bigger vessels…

20 Sep 2022

CLdN Acquires Seatruck Ferries from Clipper Group

(Photo: CLdN)

European RoRo ferry operator CLdN announced on Tuesday that it has entered into an agreement to acquire all shares in Seatruck Ferries Holding Ltd. from Clipper Group. The transaction price was not disclosed.The deal is subject to regulatory approval from the Irish competition authorities, expected before year-end, CLdN said.With eight vessels, Irish Sea operator Seatruck Ferries transports close to 20% of the region’s seaborne cargo volumes. After closing, the Seatruck operation…

28 Jul 2022

As Airlines Struggle with Demand, 'Car-Cations' Boom, Stena Line says

Plenty of room for 'Fido": A dog-friendly cabin. Image courtesy Stena Line

Stena Line reports that its travel business bouncde back in Britain and Ireland in 2022, with figures for the first half of the year show that passenger numbers are back to pre-pandemic levels, while car numbers in particular are far higher than in 2019.The increase in the number of cars is most striking on the Irish Sea, driven by the fact that the cost of car hire in Ireland isthe highest in Europe, driving people to instead travel by ferry and take their own cars to either Belfast, Dublin or Rosslare.

31 May 2022

UK Cancels P&O Ferries Contract Over Job Cuts

©Pixavril/AdobeStock

Britain says it has canceled a contract with P&O Ferries "with immediate effect" in its latest action against the DP World-owned company following its decision to axe hundreds of staff earlier this year.The Home Office (interior ministry) said it was ending its agreement with the firm to provide contingency travel services to "juxtaposed ports" where British staff operate border controls in Belgium and France to check passengers and freight destined for Britain.It comes after P&O Ferries…

25 Oct 2021

VIDEO: Jack-up Vessel Drops Turbine Blades Overboard at Vattenfall's Ormonde Offshore Wind Farm

MPI Offshore, an offshore installation service firm owned by Van Oord, last week accidentally dropped three wind turbine blades into the sea, while conducting scheduled maintenance at Vattenfall's Ormonde wind farm in the Irish Sea, off the UK.According to the Kingfisher incident report, MPI Offshore's MPI Adventure jack-up vessel last week jacked up alongside Ormonde B01 wind turbine and dropped three 61 m turbine blades weighing 126 tonnes in total, and a blade clamping tool weighing 3000-3100kg overboard.A notice to mariners dated October 18 said that the dropped items were in the water adjacent to MPI Adventure near the wind turbine generator B01…

08 Jul 2021

Allseas Installs New Module on Buzzard Platform Complex in North Sea

Credit: Allseas

Offshore installation firm Allseas said Thursday its giant Pioneering Spirit vessel had delivered another payload of what is a busy 2021 lift campaign.Namely, the flagship catamaran has recently delivered the new module for CNOOC International’s Buzzard Phase II development in the North Sea’s Outer Moray Firth, east of Scotland.The 516-tonne unit was loaded onboard directly from the Worley Rosenberg fabrication facility in Stavanger, Norway, transported to the field, and subsequently…

15 Jun 2021

Damen Delivers Fast Crew Supplier for Allseas' Pioneering Spirit Vessel

Credit: Damen

Dutch Damen Shipyards Group has delivered a Fast Crew Supplier (FCS) 1605 to offshore installation firm Allseas to support its Pioneering Spirit vessel, the largest offshore construction vessel in the world.The FCS 1605 vessel will perform fast crew and personnel transfers to and from the Pioneering Spirit. Damen secured the contract for the vessel, named Ricochet, on March 15. "The delivery was fast as a result of Damen’s practice of building its vessels in series for stock. When Allseas placed its order with Damen, the FCS 1605 was already built.

10 Jun 2021

Gallery: Allseas' Giant Vessel Removes Morecambe Bay Platform Topsides

Credit: Allseas

Offshore services firm Allseas said Wednesday it had removed the former DP3 gas production topsides from Spirit Energy’s Morecambe Bay development in the East Irish Sea, using the giant Pioneering Spirit vessel.This follows the removal of the adjacent DP4 topsides and subsequent transport to the UK in April. The two normally unmanned installations used to produce gas as part of Spirit Energy’s complex of eight installations in Morecambe Bay. As the field has matured, the reserves the platforms previously tapped into have been produced by the larger…

08 Jan 2021

Ireland Eases Customs Rules as Low Demand Stops Ferry Sailings

A Stena Line Vessel - Credit:Stena Line

Ireland's tax authority temporarily eased post-Brexit customs arrangements after some trucks were unable to deliver goods from Britain, difficulties that prompted the largest Irish Sea ferry operator to cancel some sailings from Friday.Britain's departure from the EU's orbit introduces reams of paperwork and costs that must be completed to move goods across the new customs border. For Irish firms, it means a 12-fold rise in the number of import and export declarations, the tax…

03 Jan 2021

New RoPax Ship Stena Embla Arrives in Belfast

Stena Embla is the third new ship to be added to Irish Sea routes. Photo: Stena Line

Stena Embla, the third E-Flexer ferry to be commissioned for Stena Line’s Irish Sea routes in the last 12 months, recently arrived in Belfast. Touted by the owner as "three of the most modern ferries in the world," Stena Embla join her sister ship on the popular Belfast – Liverpool route later this month. Stena Embla has the capacity to carry 1,000 passengers, 120 cars and 3,100 lane metres of freight. This will provide a significant 20% increase in freight capacity for the route…

07 Jan 2021

Pioneering Spirit to Remove Two Morecambe Bay Platforms

(Photo: Spirit Energy)

Allseas' giant heavy lift vessel Pioneering Spirit will remove the DP3 and DP4 platforms in Morecambe Bay off the U.K. for independent oil and gas operator Spirit Energy.The two normally unmanned installations used to produce gas as part of Spirit Energy’s complex of eight installations in Morecambe Bay. As the field has matured, the reserves the platforms previously tapped into have been produced by the larger, manned Central Morecambe platform nearby.The 12 wells that were connected…

27 May 2021

Stena Line’s New Ferry Floated Out in China

(Photo: Stena Line)

Ferry company Stena Line said its first new extended E-Flexer RoPax vessel has been launched in Weihai, China.Ordered in 2018, the newbuild is expected for delivery in 2022, though it remains unknown which route the vessel will serve. "For now, the name of the new vessel and the route on which it will operate are being kept a closely guarded secret by Stena Line," the company said in a statement.Floated out on May 24, the new vessel is the fourth out of five new next generation…

22 Jan 2021

After Brexit, Ireland and France cut Out the Middleman: Britain

© Andy Chisholm / Adobe Stock

From his office overlooking Cherbourg docks, general manager Yannick Millet points to trailers destined for Ireland that belong to Amazon and FedEx, new customers and a signal of a potential big shift in post-Brexit trade.Confronted by red tape and delays after Britain’s messy exit from the European Union, Irish traders are shipping goods directly to and from European ports, shunning the once-speedier route through Britain.“You see the shift in supply chains right here,” he said.All five operators connecting Ireland to mainland Europe have increased ferry services in the past nine months…