Irish Ferries News

Armada Technologies announced that Irish Ferries has contracted for a feasibility study and integration engineering for the Armada ‘passive air lubrication system’ (PALS) on board its RoPax cruise ferry W.B. Yeats.Armada’s PALS is a second-generation air lubrication system that uses the vessel’s own forward motion to drive water through a series of openings in the bow region of the vessel. These openings direct system water through branch lines to venturis and injectors that then passively delivers an optimal air/water mix (rather than simply air) for hull lubrication of unparalleled efficacy."One of the major complaints shipowners have…

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…

British shipyard Cammell Laird will has announced at the Nor-Shipping trade fair in Oslo ambitious plans to disrupt the new-build ferry market with a new specially designed Ro-Pax ferry.Liverpool City Region based Cammell Laird is releasing a sneak picture preview  of the commercial sensitive design ahead of a formal launch later this year and will be briefing prospective customers on the design at its stand.Cammell Laird’s project director Andy Askham said the company believes its innovative…

Dublin-based maritime transportation group Irish Continental Group (ICG) has entered into a bareboat hire purchase agreement for the sale of the cruise ferry “Oscar Wilde” to MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company.The total consideration for the sale is EUR28.9m, payable in instalments over six years, up to 2025.Delivery to the buyer is expected to take place this month, said a company release.Built in 1987, the Oscar Wilde was bought by ICG in 2007 and operated on Irish Ferries’ route to France. ICG operates Irish Ferries, which runs sailings from Ireland to Britain and France.The proceeds less the net book value of the Oscar Wilde (€7.7 million) and related disposal costs will result in a profit on disposal which will be reported as part of the 2019 financial results of ICG…

The European Investment Bank is providing EUR 155 million to finance two new passenger and vehicle ships for the Irish Continental Group (ICG) subsidiary Irish Ferries.The two ferries will increase passenger and cargo capacity on routes to Ireland, replace older and smaller vessels and significantly reduce emissions from the Irish Ferries fleet.The new ferries are expected to be used on both the Dublin-Holyhead and Dublin-Cherbourg routes to reflect demand for a greater choice of services from Ireland to Britain and direct to continental Europe.The announcement was made as the W.B. Yeats cruise ferry made its maiden commercial voyage from Dublin to Holyhead this morning.The largest ever EIB support for Irish shipping was announced during a visit this morning by Andrew McDowell…

Irish Ferries’ flagship craft, the WB Yeats, is finally due to set sail after months of delays that disrupted much of the company’s schedule this year.The maritime transport company that operates passenger and freight services on routes between Ireland, Britain said in a press note that this vessel will provide passengers with a unique and memorable cruise-style travel experience. Offering up to four sailings a week directly from Dublin to France, this flagship cruise ferry will travel 125,000 nautical miles per annum, which is the equivalent of circumnavigating the globe nearly 6 times."Sailing from mid-March to the end of September…

TT-Line Company and European shipbuilder Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft (FSG) have signed a letter of intent (LoI) for the construction of two new ships to replace the current Spirit of Tasmania vessels. TT-Line chairman Mike Grainger said the companies would now commence contract negotiations and agree to final design specifications. “FSG was endorsed by the Board after the company short listed a number of international shipyards to build the new tailor-made vessels,” he said. FSG is a highly respected and experienced ship builder that has constructed more than 750 vessels  since it was established in 1872. It is currently building cruise ferries for Irish Ferries and Brittany Ferries as well as RoRo vessels for the Siem Group.

Irish Continental Group plc (ICG) said it has ordered a new cruise ferry set to be the world’s largest in terms of vehicle capacity, due for delivery in 2020. The new €165.2 million ($199.4 million) cruise ferry is being built by German shipbuilder Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesselschaft & Co.KG (FSG), specifically for Irish Ferries’ Dublin - Holyhead services. It is expected to replace the schedule of the MV Ulysses, which in turn will replace the chartered-in vessel MV Epsilon. This will allow for the deployment of the W.B. Yeats (arriving mid 2018) full-time on the direct Ireland - France route alongside the MV Oscar Wilde. ICG said the new 67,300 gross ton cruise ferry will increase Irish Ferries’ freight and tourism carrying capacity on the fast-growing Dublin - Holyhead route.

The challenges and opportunities posed by alternative fuels, safety management and social media dominated Interferry’s 42nd annual conference in Split, Croatia, where a record 370 delegates shared insights on ship technologies, safety issues including cyber security and the customer experience. Attendance at last week’s conference represented 210 ferry operators and suppliers from 27 countries. Mediterranean ferry operators voiced their concerns on meeting the 0.5 percent sulphur emissions cap due in 2020. Minoan Lines managing director Antonios Maniadakis complained that using low sulphur fuel would increase costs by €2 million per year.

British shipyard and engineering company Cammell Laird said it plans to unleash an “aggressive exports drive” in 2017 after one of its busiest years for commercial marine work, which saw it land the biggest shipbuilding project in the U.K. for a generation. Cammell Laird CEO John Syvret said the winning of the £150 million contract to build the Sir David Attenborough polar research vessel for the U.K. Government “threw open” a new global market to build a range of high value polar vessels from research to cruise ships.

The number of cars taken by ferry has increased from 8.6 million in 2015 to nearly 8.8 million in 2016, a 1.7% increase. This is the fourth successive year of growth according to the annual results of the ferry industry. 2016 Ferrystat figures released today by Discover Ferries, the industry body for ferry operators, reports that growth for car travel by sea is up by 473,000 in the past four years; up from just 8.3 million car crossings by sea in 2012. Discover Ferries member ferry operators include Brittany Ferries, Caledonian MacBrayne, Condor Ferries, DFDS, Irish Ferries, Isle of Man Steam Packet Company, Isles of Scilly Steamship Group, Northlink, P&O Ferries, Red Funnel, StenaLine and Wightlink.

At the SMM maritime trade show in Hamburg, the Bremen-based shipbuilding supplier and provider of consulting and ship-related services LOEWE MARINE announced that it has received an order from shipbuilders Flensburger Schiffbau Gesellschaft (FSG) to supply the rudder systems for five newbuilds. The order takes LOEWE's partnership with FSG to the next level, coming, after five completed rudder projects for FSG over the past two years. It includes a twin arrangement of a high-efficiency flap rudder for a 194.8-meter RoPax ferry ordered from FSB by Irish Ferries.

Irish Ferries’ parent company, Irish Continental Group  (ICG) has signed an agreement with German shipbuilder Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft  (FSG)  to construct a new cruise ferry costing EUR 144 million (USD 161 million). ICG will capitalise on their existing cash resource and credit facilities to finance the construction of the vessel, which is scheduled to be delivered in 2018. The new cruise ferry will be fitted with emissions scrubber technology and ballast water systems aligned to current and the forthcoming environmental regulations. It will be propelled by four main engines with a capacity of 33,600KW of power similar to the existing fleet. The 50,000-tonne cruise ferry will accommodate 1,885 passengers and crew, with 435 cabins.

Even though the struggle for independence from Britain finally resulted in Ireland being declared “a sovereign, independent, democratic state” in 1937 there was little interest being shown in the maritime affairs of the country. This, despite Ireland being seen as having opportunities to derive added value from its vast marine resources. Up until a few years ago, sporadic endeavors failed to achieve optimum economic benefits. Ireland’s ambition to create a maritime cluster gathered momentum only during the last few years. It began with the introduction of the tonnage tax regime in 2003. This made Ireland an attractive destination for shipping. The immediate effect was that it reversed the trend of Irish shipping companies flagging out to foreign registries.

Irish Continental Group, the company behind Irish Ferries, posted a 9.6pc increase in revenue last year (2014) in taking Euro 290.1 million. ICG's ferry division grew by 14 percent - and its container & terminal division grew by 2.6 percent. Its pre-tax profits were €56.7m - up from €23.7m in 2013. Its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (ebitda) rose by 2.6 percent to €50.5 million. This expansion was bolstered by the addition of the new "Epsilon" vessel that was added to the Irish Ferries fleet. The new vessel allowed the company to 18 additional sailings every week between Dublin and Holyhead, as well as a weekly round trip between Dublin and France. Underlying fuel prices were lower but the new ferry meant the ferry division's fuel costs went up.

David Ledwidge has been appointed to the position of chief financial officer at Irish Continental Group Plc (ICG).   A Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Ireland and a Bachelor of Science graduate from Dublin Institute of Technology, Ledwidge joined ICG from accountants Deloitte in 2006.    Ledwidge has held various financial positions within the group, first as group risk accountant followed by his appointment as Irish ferries financial controller, and in 2013 was appointed Irish ferries finance director.

Andrew Sheen has been appointed by the Irish Continental Group (ICG) to the position of Managing Director of its Irish Ferries division. Sheen will assume his new role with effect from the beginning of April, reporting to ICG’s CEO, Eamonn Rothwell. Operations Director since 2012, Sheen has been involved in shipping for over 26 years, 10 of them with Irish Ferries - first as a sea-going Chief Engineer and, since 2010, in shore-based operations roles. A Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the Institute of Marine Engineers…

Birkenhead shipyard and engineering services company Cammell Laird said it has developed an advanced shipyard environmental package for ferries, following its strongest year of trading in the sector. Cammell Laird said it has docked 24 ferries between 2013 and the beginning of 2014 and, in addition, has carried out a further 24 afloat repairs for ferry operators. During 2013 Cammell Laird repaired, built and converted almost 250,000 gross tons of ferry and Ro-Ro ships for a wide range of owners. Already in 2014 it has docked and repaired ferries of 150,000 gross tons.

A new direct passenger car ferry service linking Dublin with the French port of Cherbourg is being introduced by Irish Ferries with the first sailing departing from Dublin on January 18. The once-weekly, year-round service – which the company’s head of passenger sales Dermot Merrigan said “will bring the European motorways directly into the heart of our capital city” – will depart from Dublin every Saturday (15.30) arriving into Cherbourg next morning (11.30). Return sailings will depart Cherbourg each Sunday (17.00) with early arrival back in Dublin on Monday morning (11.00).

Irish Ferries has chartered the Epsilon (built in 2011) to supplement its existing Ireland to Britain services. The ship will provide two additional departures per day in each direction which will result in an increase in the company’s schedule to a maximum of twelve sailings between Dublin and Holyhead each day. The recently built vessel will provide significant vehicle capacity along with modern facilities on board including cabins, bar/cafeteria and self-service restaurant.

In a comment John B. McGuckian Chairman stated, ‘‘This was a positive half years trading with increases in revenue and operating profit driven mainly by higher freight carryings and lower fuel costs, partially offset by weaker passenger markets. In the prior year the group disposed of its subsidiary Feederlink and the comparatives set out in the Interim Management Report have been restated to exclude trading from discontinued operations. The Board of Irish Continental Group plc (ICG) reports that, in the seasonally less profitable first half of the year, the group recorded revenue of €120.9 million compared with €117.0 million in the same period in 2012, an increase of 3.3%.

Irish Continental Group (ICG) produced another resilient performance in the face of continued economic weakness, which affects both consumer travel and import/export trade flows, the two areas of economic interest for the Group. During the year, the Group announced and completed the sale of its subsidiary Feederlink. Revenue for the year from continuing operations was up 1.7% at €256.1 million while continuing EBITDA  was down 3.2%, to €45.8 million, due mainly to lower freight volumes in both RORO and LOLO and higher fuel costs (up €6.3 million to €53.2 million) largely offset by higher yields in the passenger business. The net interest…

Andrew Sheen has been appointed Operations Director of Irish Ferries. A former engineer on the company’s fast ferry Jonathan Swift, Sheen joined Irish Ferries from the UK’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency, having served as Technical Performance Manager, Engineer and Ship Surveyor. A B. Eng (Hons), M. Sc and Chartered Engineer, he will be accountable for Irish Ferries’ ships safety and operations, all port terminals within the company’s network, and costs associated with the company’s operations in Ireland, Britain and France.