New ferries will offer ‘cruise ship comforts’

By Alastair Dalton
Published on Sunday 13 November 2011 00:00

A NEW era of cruise liner-style luxury dawns for Scottish ferry passengers next week when they are offered Jacuzzis, saunas and iPads to enhance their voyage.

New vessels which will be the biggest ferries to sail between Britain and Ireland will also provide Xbox consoles and free drinks when they take over the Scotland-Belfast route.

Operator Stena Line claims the ferries will provide “unprecedented levels of comfort on the Irish Sea” for the one million passengers a year on the route.

There is also the prospect of improved onboard facilities for passengers on routes to both the Northern and Western Isles. Bidders for NorthLink’s Aberdeen-Orkney/Shetland service next year have the option of providing new vessels, while competition for key CalMac routes may be signalled in a Scottish Government review, due by Christmas.

Stena’s Superfast VII and VIII, which are each nearly 700ft long – the length of two football pitches – have been upgraded at a Polish shipyard after previously sailing between Finland and Germany.

Stena said they had “a look, feel and experience more akin to a cruise ship than a traditional ferry”.

The identical vessels will operate from the firm’s brand new Loch Ryan Port from Monday, 21 November, and take two hours, 15 minutes to reach Belfast.

The new terminal, near Cairnryan, will replace its current Stranraer base, eight miles further up the sea loch.

Professor Alf Baird, of Napier University in Edinburgh, said: “Stena Line have acquired two excellent ex-Superfast Ferries ships at a good price.”

The professor of maritime business at the university’s transport research institute added: “Compared with Stena’s previous high-speed vessel on the route [HSS Voyager], the new solution will enable them to carry more people, cars and freight at much lower overall fuel consumption and therefore at lower cost and with reduced emissions.”

The ten-deck ships can accommodate 660 cars – nearly twice as many as the largest of the current ferries on the route – along with 1,200 passengers.

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14

voujan

Monday, November 14, 2011 at 04:19 PM

Well said Micheal (#13), I had already brought up this issue on Sunday but it is still "Pending moderation". I also mentioned about the fact there are no ferries to mainland Europe from Scotland anymoe, wheres just five years ago we could sail from Scotland to Belgium, Norway, Iceland and Faroe Islands.

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13

Michael

Monday, November 14, 2011 at 10:52 AM

Well done Stenna, at least you care for your passengers, unlike Argyll Ferries who are treating the people of Dunoon with contempt. We are given two small boats although only one is working at the moment and they are causing sickness and serious discomfort because of their stability. The Dunoon people are holding a protest meeting on Thursday 24th. and have invited Mike Russell MSP to explain their decision.

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12

trenchchat

Sunday, November 13, 2011 at 01:39 PM

#10 Norfolking good methinks

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11

voujan

Sunday, November 13, 2011 at 12:45 PM

Pending Moderation

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10

Grahamalba

Sunday, November 13, 2011 at 11:10 AM

No sign of a route from Rosyth to Europe I see. DFDS made sure that route was killed off, by buying "Norfolk Line" then promntly closed the route.

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9

Hazelkaye

Sunday, November 13, 2011 at 10:44 AM

3) Yes indeed! Pity that foot passengers now have to get tofrom Cairnryan by bus!

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8

Auld Twa

Sunday, November 13, 2011 at 09:52 AM

Providing new vessels for NorthLink’s Aberdeen to Orkney and Shetland service is a serious problem as the Hjatland and Hrossey are the largest vessels that can use Aberdeen Harbour. Maybe a vessel with better inside layout can be designed, for example having twin car decks of some kind but options are limited. The timetable, with some Aberdeen to Shetland sailings going via Orkney, does not favour fuel economy, the boats in service have about twice the engine power that is needed for their optimum economic speed. We would be pleased to see modern vessels with higher capacity on this route but doubt if thet is technically possible at at sensible fare. John Brown might be interested to hear that two people with a cabin and a car, return Aberdeen to Shetland will cost him £600.

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7

Hearthammer

Sunday, November 13, 2011 at 09:06 AM

#2, err, no! Whoever is running the service, and it IS a service, will be subsidised.

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6

StewartStevenson

Sunday, November 13, 2011 at 08:44 AM

The Scottish Parliament is forbidden to subsidise international services GUS1940 (see below). Yet another argument for independence. Scotland Act (1998) ... SCHEDULE 5 Reserved matters ... E3. Marine transport ... Financial assistance for shipping services which start or finish or both outside Scotland.

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5

Danielrober2

Sunday, November 13, 2011 at 08:34 AM

I am looking forward to heading over to Northern Ireland for the first time next year and will be taking the Loch Ryan route. It’s amazing what you can miss on your own door step. I have studied the Giants Causeway a hundred times but have yet to actually see it. Should be fun and having kids encourages me to re-explore.

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4

gus1940

Sunday, November 13, 2011 at 07:13 AM

I saw a documentary about one of the ferries on the Holyhead route and I think it was even bigger. It is tragic that we don't have the original Superfast ships running from Rosyth - it was a wonderful service with great ships - unlike the atrocious 'Scottish Viking' . There are some things worthy of subsidy and I think the Rosyth service is one .

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3

effdot

Sunday, November 13, 2011 at 06:39 AM

A shame that the ferry no longer connects with the railway....... I suppose that that is what the politicians mean when they encourage us to use public transport.......

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2

Scotindy

Sunday, November 13, 2011 at 01:57 AM

# 1, I agree with you the likes of cal mac would put you in an Orange Box to travel from Ullapool to Stornoway, if they could get away with it, and they are. When Scotland gets out of this union with the english, we will invite competion for those routes to the Islands from the European Nations, and end the pathetic TAX PAYERS MONEY to SUBSIDISE the cal macs of this world.

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1

John Brown

Sunday, November 13, 2011 at 01:06 AM

Hopefully this will lead to lower prices. During the Summer it was £370 to take a car plus two to Ireland by the same company that charged £79 to travel between England and the continent. Disgraceful. The Irish Tourist board need to do something about it too.

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