After more than six years’ in planning and construction, Stena Line’s newest ferry Stena Estrid started service on Monday January 13th on the Holyhead to Dublin route, the company said in its release.
Setting sail from the Port of Holyhead and arriving in Dublin, Stena Estrid received a traditional maritime water cannon salute after braving the elements of Storm Brendan.
Described as one of the most modern ferries in the world, Estrid set sail again from Dublin Port to complete the first-round trip on her new Irish Sea home.
Stena Estrid is the first of three new next generation ferries that will operate on the Irish Sea as part of a multi-million-pound investment by Stena Line in the region. Sister ship Stena Edda is expected to commence operations from Liverpool to Belfast this spring, with a third vessel Stena Embla to be introduced on the same route in early 2021.
At 215 metres in length, Stena Estrid is one of the most advanced vessels in operation and larger than today’s standard RoPax vessels, with space to carry 120 cars and 1,000 passengers, and a freight capacity of 3,100 lane meters, meaning a 50 per cent increase in freight tonnage.
Stena Line is the largest ferry operator on the Irish Sea, offering the biggest fleet and the widest choice of routes between Britain and Ireland including Holyhead to Dublin, Fishguard to Rosslare, Cairnryan to Belfast, Liverpool to Belfast, and Heysham to Belfast routes, a total of 232 weekly sailing options. Stena Line also offers a direct service between Rosslare to Cherbourg with three return crossings a week.