Stena Line has just completed the refit of all seven ships in its Irish Sea North ferry fleet with a total investment programme of £5 million.
The work was carried out at the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast over a four-month period, with the carefully synchronised dry dock visits being managed by Stena Line’s Clyde-based sister company Northern Marine Ferries.
The 2017 refit programme was the first time that all seven Stena Line vessels went into dry dock sequentially, which represented a significant logistical challenge for the company.
As well as coordinating over 150 specialist onsite contractors, Stena Line also introduced temporary relief vessels to ensure that sailing schedules and customer service levels were maintained throughout the entire process.
Paul Grant, Stena Line’s Trade Director (Irish Sea North) said: “Our refit programme is a key aspect of our ship management operation to ensure that our vessels operate as safely and efficiently as possible. Apart from the range of upgrades we have made to our onboard passenger facilities, what’s particularly striking about this year’s refit is that the Stena Line fleet now carries our new company strapline on the side of our ships…Connecting Europe for a Sustainable Future...which demonstrates our future sustainability ambitions.”
Stena Line is the largest ferry company on the Irish Sea offering the biggest fleet and widest choice of routes. Stena Line operates six routes to Britain and France which provides passengers with an unrivalled 228 sailing options per week.
