Irish Ferries

Irish Ferries is an Irish ferry and transport company that operates passenger and freight services on routes between Ireland, Britain and Continental Europe, including Dublin Port–Holyhead; Rosslare Europort to Pembroke as well as Dublin Port-Cherbourg in France.

Irish Ferries Ltd
TypeDivision
IndustryTransportation & Tourism
PredecessorB&I Line; Irish Continental Line
Founded1973
HeadquartersDublin, Ireland
Number of locations
Dublin Port, Ireland
Holyhead Port, Wales
Rosslare Europort, Ireland
Pembroke Dock, Wales
Cherbourg, France
Port of Dover, England
Port of Calais, France.
Area served
United Kingdom, Ireland & France.
Key people
Eamonn Rothwell, CEO, Andrew Sheen Managing Director
ServicesPassenger & vehicle transportation, Freight transportation;
ParentIrish Continental Group
DivisionsIrish Ferries; Eucon
SubsidiariesIrish Ferries Freight; Dublin Ferryport Terminals; Belfast Container Terminal
Websitewww.irishferries.com
Irish Ferries route map. Since June 2021, Dover-Calais has also been operated.

The company is a division of the Irish Continental Group (ICG) which trades on the Irish Stock Exchange and the London Stock Exchange. ICG also owns the Eucon container line which operates vessels on routes operating between Ireland and the continent.

Irish Ferries' flagship, MV Ulysses, is currently the largest ROPAX ferry operating on the Irish Sea and when launched in 2001 was the world's largest car ferry in terms of car-carrying capacity. Other ships in the fleet include MS Isle of Inishmore, MV W.B. Yeats and the fast ferry Dublin Swift (preceded by HSC Jonathan Swift, which operated until 2018). The company also charters in a ro-pax vessel, MS Epsilon. The company used to charter MV Kaitaki which was sold to Interisland Line, and Pride of Bilbao which was sold to St. Peter Line in 2013 and then renamed Princess Anastasia.

History

Irish Continental Line was formed in 1973 as a joint venture between Irish Shipping, Fearnley & Eger and Swedish company Lion Ferry.[1] It originally operated on the Rosslare–Le Havre route with the 547 berth, 210 car ferry Saint Patrick.[2] When Irish Shipping went into liquidation in 1984, Irish Continental Line was sold off in a management buyout and emerged as Irish Continental Group.

In 1992, ICG took over the British and Irish Steam Packet Company Limited, a nationalised company which traded under the name B&I Line and operated ferry services between Dublin and Holyhead and between Rosslare and Pembroke Dock.

In 2005, Irish Ferries replaced all its workers with foreign agency labour that was cheaper than that of its rivals, such as P&O Ferries, Stena Line and DFDS, thereby undercutting their prices. Its competitive practice, as well as the use of security personnel to carry out the replacement of its crewmembers, were described by many in the industry as a "blueprint" for P&O's 2022 sacking of hundreds of its seafarers.[3][4]

Investment

As part of its offer to buy B&I Line, management at ICG undertook to invest in replacing what was an ageing fleet. Over the following decade, a programme of fleet renewal was undertaken involving investment of €500 million to create what was described as the most modern ferry fleet in western Europe.

New vessels were built such as Ulysses, Isle of Innisfree (now on charter in New Zealand as Kaitaki), Isle of Inishmore and a fast ferry Jonathan Swift, all for service on its Ireland–UK routes. As a result, the company put itself in a position to attract increased passenger and freight business, influenced by the modern facilities and improved reliability of each vessel and the extra capacity that was available on board.

On 31 May 2016, ICG announced that it had entered into an agreement with the German company Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft to build a cruise ferry MV W.B. Yeats at a contract price of €144 million. The new cruise ferry can accommodate 1,880 passengers and crew, with 435 cabins and with capacity for 2,800 lane metres of freight (165 freight vehicles) plus an additional dedicated car deck with capacity for 300 passenger cars.[5] Summer 2018 bookings for the new ferry were cancelled due to delays in its delivery from the shipyard.[6]

In March 2021, Irish Ferries in a surprise announcement revealed that they were opening a new route between Dover and Calais, due to start in June, later revealed to be June 29th.[7][8] This is the first such route that Irish Ferries operates which does not call in Ireland, with Dover and Calais being two major UK and French ports respectively. The service began with the MS Isle of Inishmore (1996) operating between the two ports, with two more ships due to enter service – the MS Isle of Innisfree (1991, ex-Calais Seaways)[9] in December 2021, and MS Ciudad de Mahón expected in Q1 2022 after rebranding and refurbishing work.[10][11]

Awards

In 2001, the newly completed vessel Ulysses was awarded the title 'Most Significant Newbuild – Ferry' by Lloyds List Cruise & Ferry.[12] In 2019, the latest addition to its fleet, W.B. Yeats was awarded the 'Ferry Concept Award' and the 'Interior Architecture Award' at the international Shippax Industry Awards.

Fleet

In 2005, Irish Ferries began to re-register its fleet under flags of convenience,[13][14] enabling the company to save approximately €11.5 million[15] by replacing crew with agency staff. As of February 2018, all vessels owned by Irish Ferries or Irish Continental Group are registered in either the Bahamas or Cyprus



Current fleet
Ship Built Entered Service Route Gross Tonnage Notes Flag Image
Ulysses20002001Dublin - Holyhead50,938 GTOne of the largest ro-pax ferries currently operating on the Irish Sea, carrying up to 1,938 passengers, 1,342 cars and 241 trucks. Cyprus
Epsilon20112014Dublin - Holyhead
Dublin - Cherbourg		26,375 GTOperating Dublin - Holyhead (Weekdays) and Dublin to Cherbourg (Weekend) Cyprus
W.B. Yeats20182019Dublin - Cherbourg50,400 GTCarrying up to 1,800 passengers, with 440 cabins; 300-car deck and 165 freight vehicles (or additional cars) Cyprus
Oscar Wilde 2007May 2023Rosslare - Pembroke36,249 GTChartered for 2-year purchase option Carrying up to 1,900 passengers, with 131 cabins; 450-car deck and 120 freight vehicles Cyprus
Dublin Swift20012018Dublin - Holyhead8,403 GTOperating a seasonal service. Carrying up to 820 passengers and 220 cars.  Cyprus
Isle of Inishmore19971997Dover - Calais34,031 GTCarrying up to 2,200 passengers and 855 cars. Cyprus
Isle of Innisfree 19912021Dover - Calais28,838 GTBought from DFDS Seaways. Entered service 15 December 2021.[9] Cyprus
Isle of Inisheer20002022Dover - Calais22,152 GTBought from Trasmediterránea. Entered service in 2022.[11][10] Cyprus

Former ships
Ship BuiltYears in service RouteGross TonnageStatus as of 2021 Flag Image
Saint Patrick 19721972–1982 Dublin - Holyhead7,819 GT[16]In 1982 renamed the St. Colum 1 and transferred to Belfast Car Ferries.[17] Scrapped as EXPRESS P at Alang, India in August 2005
Saint Killian
Saint Killian II		 19781978–1981
1982–1997		 Rosslare - Cherbourg7,125 GRT
10,256 GT		Scrapped in Alang, India in 2007
Saint Patrick II 19821982–1997 Rosslare - Cherbourg / LeHavre7,984 GTSince 2002 sailing as C.T.M.A. Vacancier for Coopérative de transport maritime et aérien
Thomas Wehr 1992 7,628 GT
Pride of Bilbao [did not sail for Irish Ferries]37,799 GTChartered to P&O Ferries. Sold to St. Peter Line in 2014.
Isle of Innisfree 19951995-2002 Dublin-Holyhead.
Rosslare-Pembroke Dock.		 22,365 GTFrom 2002 chartered out as Pride of Cherbourg, Stena Challenger, Challenger and Kaitaki. Sold to Interislander in 2017.
Isle of Inishmore
Isle of Inishturk		 19951995–1996
1996–1997		 Dublin-Liverpool.
Dublin-Holyhead.
Rosslare-Pembroke Dock.		 6,807 GRT
9,700 GT		Since 1997 sailing as Madeleine for Coopérative de transport maritime et aérien.
Normandy 19811998–2007 Rosslare-Pembroke Dock.
Rosslare-Cherbourg.
Cork-Roscoff.		 17,043 GTSold to Equinox Offshore Accommodation and chartered to the Morocco-based FerriMaroc in 2008. Scrapped at Alang, 2012.
Jonathan Swift 19991999–2018 Dublin-Holyhead.5,989 GTsold to Balearia Eurolineas Maritimas, Denia, Spain and renamed Cecilia Payne
Oscar Wilde 19872007-2019 Rosslare-Cherbourg.
Rosslare-Pembroke Dock. (temporary)		 31,914 GTSold to MSC and reflagged to Cyprus
MS Mega Express Four 19952021-2021 24,186 GTChartered to Irish Ferries for 2 months to cover refits and flagged Italian
Blue Star 1 19992021-2023 Rosslare-Pembroke Dock29,858 GTCharter completed after 2 years, returned to Blue Star Ferries and flagged Greece

References
  1. Smith, P.C. (2012). Offshore Ferry Services of England and Scotland: A Useful Guide to the Shipping Lines and Routes. Pen & Sword Books Limited. p. 84. ISBN 978-1-84884-665-4. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
  2. "Irish Ferries". Irish Ferries Enthusiasts Group. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  3. Armitage, Jim; Arlidge, John; Hellen, Nicholas; Al-Othman, Hannah (19 March 2022). "Bungs, handcuffs and foreign job ads: inside story of the P&O sackings". The Times.
  4. Topham, Gwyn (30 March 2022). "P&O Ferries is not the first in UK waters to hire low-cost workers". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
  5. O'Brien, Ciara (1 June 2016). "Irish Continental Group to spend €144m building cruise ferry". Irish Times. Dublin. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  6. Ó Conghaile, Pól. "Irish Ferries cancels all summer sailings on new WB Yeats ferry". Irish Independent. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  7. "Irish Ferries To Enter Competitive Cross-Channel Market". NI Ferry Site. 26 November 2021.
  8. "Irish Ferries services between Dover and Calais begin". NI Ferry Site. 26 November 2021.
  9. "Irish Continental Group PLC acquires "Calais Seaways"". Irish Continental Group. 4 November 2021.
  10. "MV Northern Merchant - Past and Present". Dover Ferry Photo Forums. 24 November 2021.
  11. "Irish Ferries owner acquires third ship for Dover-Calais route". Travel Weekly. 24 November 2021.
  12. ‘Irish Ferries – An Ambitious Voyage’ by Miles Cowsill and Justin Merrigan
  13. "Flying the flag of greed". The Irish Times. 29 September 2005. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
  14. "Irish Ferries flies flag of convenience". Sinn Fein. Sinn Fein. 15 July 2005. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
  15. "Irish Ferries dispute finally resolved after bitter stand-off". EurWORK. 20 December 2005. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
  16. "EXPRESS P - 7302885 - RO-RO/PASSENGER SHIP - Maritime-Connector.com". maritime-connector.com. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
  17. "Irish Ferries Enthusiasts :: Irish Ferries". Archived from the original on 12 March 2010. Retrieved 11 February 2010.

Bibliography
  • Cowsill, Miles; Merrigan, Justin (2013). Irish Ferries: An Ambitious Voyage. Ramsey, Isle of Man: Ferry Publications. ISBN 9781906608606.
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