Irish Continental Group plc takes delivery of cruise ferry W.B.Yeats

Irish Continental Group plc (“ICG”) has taken delivery of the cruise ferry W.B.Yeats at Flensburg, Germany. The W.B.Yeats was built by the German shipbuilder Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesselschaft & Co.KG at a contract price of €144 million, ICG said in a press release.

The W.B.Yeats will accommodate 1,800 passengers, offering 440 spacious cabins including luxury suites. Deck space can accommodate 2,800 lane metres of freight (165 freight vehicles) plus an additional dedicated car deck with capacity for 300 passenger cars.

The W.B.Yeats incorporates emissions scrubber technology (not included in the above contract price) and ballast water systems which meets current and known future environmental regulations and will deliver optimal fuel consumption while minimising related costs.

The W.B.Yeats has been designed to best meet the operational seasonality of our Irish Ferries business. This flexibility in design includes the ability to service all of Irish Ferries existing routes between Ireland, France and Britain. The W.B.Yeats will also adhere to Ice Class specification which will allow for a wide geographic area of operation should opportunities arise.

The W.B.Yeats will now undergo commissioning with Irish Ferries and is expected to commence services initially on the Dublin to Holyhead route in early January 2019 before switching to Dublin to France route in March 2019.

Referring to the announcement Eamonn Rothwell, Chief Executive Officer, commented that;

“This is the first of two new builds commissioned by ICG with a total contracted investment of €315 million. The second vessel is expected to be delivered during 2020. This investment will increase the tourism and freight capacity on the seamless connections from Ireland to the UK and Continent which are a vital part of Ireland’s tourism access and logistical chain. ICG looks forward to the expected significant operational and financial benefits following commencement of W.B.Yeats scheduled services in 2019.”