Stena Nordica has embarked on its first sailing after entering permanent service on the Rosslare to Fishguard route, as Swedish-owned ferry company Stena Line continues investing in its Irish Sea operations.
Following an extensive refurbishment, Stena Nordica’s inaugural sailing to Fishguard took place on Thursday July 13 at 19:30hrs. She will replace the popular Stena Europe, which completed its last sailing at 2pm on the same day and has been operating on the route since 2002.
Since going into service on the Rosslare to Fishguard route, Stena Europe has completed 27,456 trips, clocking up 207,560 nautical miles – the equivalent of travelling to the moon and back four times. It has transported 726,671 freight vehicles, 1,876,496 cars and almost seven million people.
The refurbished Stena Nordica has been upgraded with a range of new and improved passenger facilities to enhance the customer experience, including comfortable and stylish spaces, a new-look Stena Plus Lounge, Hygge Recline Lounge, two movie lounges, a Social Café & Bar and a Freight Drivers lounge.
The vessel has a capacity for 650 passengers with 58 cabins. There is also good news for pet owners as Stena Line’s enhanced pet friendly facilities on the Irish Sea includes two pet cabins onboard Stena Nordica.
During the crossing, which takes approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes, passengers can also avail of Duty Free shopping offering with savings and generous Duty Free allowances on a wide range of products.
Stena Line Trade Director, Irish Sea, Paul Grant said Stena Nordica represents a significant investment in the route by the company, commenting: “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. 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 Senior Master, Richard Davies said a lot of the crew were feeling quite nostalgic as the ferry departed Fishguard for the final time.
“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. 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.”
