STENA LINE LAUNCH NEW FREIGHT ROUTE FROM
DUBLIN TO BIRKENHEAD
Stena Line launched a new freight service between Dublin and Birkenhead (Liverpool) on 15 February, securing a vital trade route on the UK/Ireland corridor and strengthening our position in the Irish Sea.
The new service is initially operating with one ship, six sailings a week Monday to Saturday, departing Dublin early in the morning and making the return journey from Birkenhead in the evening.
Stena Line already had operations in both Dublin Port and Birkenhead, and this new service will complement the existing routes from Dublin to Holyhead and Belfast to Liverpool. The 8-hour crossing is being temporarily served by Stena Horizon with a freight capacity of 130 units per sailing.
Eamon Fortune, Port Manager, Stena Line and Barry O'Connell, Chief Executive, Dublin Port. Stena Embla in Liverpool.
Dublin-Birkenhead will be a freight only service to start with. There is a demand from the closure of the P&O ferries route and Stena Line is currently assessing ship deployment options for a permanent solution for the service. Stena Horizon will go into dry dock in March and be replaced by Stena Nordica. We’re also looking for a charter vessel to support the route. The plan is to increase in unaccompanied freight traffic.
“We are very excited to re-establish this vital trade corridor with our new freight route between Dublin and Birkenhead which will further increase crossing options for our hauliers and their customers. With Stena Line now operating two routes out of both Dublin Port and Birkenhead, we are establishing key logistics hubs connecting freight flows across the Irish Sea and creating efficiencies for port users,” says Paul Grant, Trade Director, Irish Sea.
Ita Baird, Port Manager, Stena Line and Phil Hall, Port Director Liverpool, Peel Ports.
“We have invested significantly in our Birkenhead operations in recent years and as a result have seen growth on our Belfast to Liverpool service. We are confident that this new service will prove popular, offering more choice for our freight customers on both sides of the Irish Sea,“ he added.
This is Stena Line’s seventh route in the Irish Sea region in addition to Belfast-Cairnryan, Belfast-Heysham, Belfast-Liverpool, Dublin-Holyhead, Rosslare-Fishguard and Rosslare-Cherbourg.
“The launch of our new freight service between Dublin and Birkenhead secures a vital trade route on the UK/Ireland corridor and further strengthens our position in the Irish Sea,” says Niclas Mårtensson, CEO. “With Stena Line’s extended operational contract with Peel Ports at Birkenhead and the expansion of our operations at Dublin Port, this route further demonstrates our commitment to our customers in the region and we are confident it will be a success offering direct access to the UK, Ireland and into Europe.”
