Stena Line is introducing a bigger capacity vessel onto its revived Birkenhead to Dublin sea route and is also investing to expand its shore-side operations. Tony McDonough reports
Stena Line will introduce a permanent vessel onto its Birkenhead to Dublin freight route from mid-April, increasing capacity.
In mid-February Stena resumed sailings on the Irish Sea route after a break of almost a decade. Stena Horizon has initially been operating the route but now the Swedish firm has identified another ship, Bore Song, as a permanent solution.
With capacity for almost 3,000 lane metres of freight, Bore Song will provide significantly more space for this unaccompanied freight route which operates from the 12 Quays terminal in Birkenhead.
Stena is also investing further in its port operations at Birkenhead to better serve freight customers. It has broken ground on a project to significantly increase parking for freight vehicles with plans for 200 additional bays.
This follows the announcement last year that the ferry operator had signed an agreement with Peel Ports to operate at the terminal in Birkenhead until the year 2100.
Paul Grant, trade director Irish Sea, Stena Line, said: “Since we announced our plans to launch our Dublin-Liverpool service in December, we have been searching for a long-term freight-only ship solution.
“The extra capacity offered by Bore Song will be welcomed by the market. The service has had a strong start and we anticipate further growth in the coming months.
“Coupled with the expansion of our port operations in Birkenhead and our long-term agreement with Peel Ports, we’re investing significantly in the future of our seventh service across the Irish Sea.”
Stena already operates a twice-daily return sailing between the 12 Quays terminal and Belfast using the vessels Stena Embla and Stena Edda. Unlike the Dublin route it carries both freight and passengers.
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In August 2023 LBN revealed that P&O Ferries was to axe its Liverpool to Dublin ferry route by the end of 2023. This sparked a discussion within Stena about whether it decided to reinstate what is a popular route, particularly for freight.
Stena Line is the largest ferry operator on the Irish Sea, providing up to 248 weekly sailings and this is its seventh route.