By
Laura Hyde |
Stena Nordica has officially begun sailing the Rosslare, Ireland, to Fishguard, Wales, route for Stena Line, replacing Stena Europe which has carried almost seven million passengers on 27,456 trips on the route since 2002.
Stena Europe departed Fishguard for the final time on 13 July at 14:00 GMT before Stena Nordica’s inaugural sailing to Fishguard, which took place at 19:30 GMT the same day.
Stena Nordica has been upgraded following an extensive refurbishment and now offers passengers an updated Stena Plus Lounge, a Hygge Recline Lounge, two movie lounges, a social café and bar, and a freight drivers’ lounge. The vessel can carry up to 650 passengers and has 58 cabins, two of which are pet friendly. Passengers also have access to duty-free shopping during the three-and-a-half-hour crossing.
“Stena Line has invested heavily across our Irish Sea operations during the past 10 years, and we are delighted to introduce Stena Nordica to the Rosslare-Fishguard route on a permanent basis,” said Paul Grant, Stena Line’s trade director for the Irish Sea. “As the largest ferry operator on the Irish Sea, Stena Line is committed to continually improving our services and the introduction of Stena Nordica underlines this.”
Stena Europe has clocked up 207,560 nautical miles – the equivalent of travelling to the moon and back four times – and transported 726,671 freight vehicles and 1,876,496 cars during its 21-year service.
“Stena Europe has given sterling service on the route down through the years and some of our crew have worked onboard for a very long time,” said Richard Davies, Stena Europe senior master. “The final sailing was an emotional one and brought back some brilliant memories for us all. However, we are now looking to the future with Stena Nordica which will take facilities and the passenger experience to a new level.”