Stena line sails away with top ferry accolade for 19th year

Stena Line has been voted the top ferry company for a record 19th time at the annual Northern Ireland Travel and Tourism Awards. The 'Best Ferry Company' award was presented to the ferry company at a glittering awards ceremony at the Slieve Donard Resort in Newcastle in October.

Northern Ireland Travel News has been organising the awards for the past 20 years. This year's ceremony was hosted by TV personality Eamonn Holmes and was attended by over 450 VIPs from the local travel and tourism industry. 

Paul Grant, Stena Line Route Director collected the award on behalf of the company. He said: "I am delighted Stena Line has won the Best Ferry Company title for the 19th time and all of us are very proud that our commitment to improving our services has been recognised once again."

"Although this is our 19th win, it’s every bit as important as our first success in this prestigious ceremony. The travel industry is used to seeing innovation and high levels of customer service so when they say once again that we are the Best Ferry Company it underscores that the high standards we set ourselves lead the industry," said Paul.

"We are moving into a very important time for Stena Line's operation between Northern Ireland and Scotland. On November 21 we are scheduled to start our new Belfast to Cairnryan service which will also see the introduction of two new vessels, Stena Superfast VII and Superfast VIII, the largest ships every to have sailed between Northern Ireland and Scotland," he continued.

"In the summer we also added the Belfast to Liverpool and Heysham services to our route network. Along with our purpose built Belfast Port in VT4 which was completed in 2008, the overall investment is in the region of £250M, a resounding endorsement of our confidence in the future of Belfast as the regional hub for both freight and passenger traffic," he added.

Stena Line is the market leader on the Irish Sea, offering the biggest fleet and the widest choice of routes from Ireland to Britain, including Belfast to Cairnryan (launching 21 November), Belfast to Liverpool, Dublin Port to Holyhead, Dun Laoghaire to Holyhead and Rosslare to Fishguard. The company carries approximately two million passengers on its Irish Sea routes each year, more than its rival ferry operators combined.

Stena Line to boost onboard facilities

Stena Line has confirmed its two new Superfast vessels, which will be introduced on the company's new Cairnryan to Belfast service in November, will have a Nordic Spa onboard to offer passengers a totally unique travel experience!

Stena Superfast VII and Superfast VIII will be the largest ferries ever to sail between Scotland and Northern Ireland and are currently undergoing extensive upgrades in Poland by specialist cruise ship outfitters. When complete, they will be the first Irish Sea ferries to offer passengers the opportunity to relax and indulge in a Pure Nordic Spa during the 2 hour, 15 minute crossing.

The spa will contain a sauna and Jacuzzi which will be exclusively available to Stena Plus and Premium fare passengers.

"We have established a reputation for providing a very high level of customer service so the prospect of offering our customers the opportunity to unwind in a Pure Nordic Spa at sea has really got our staff excited about giving our customers an even better travel experience," said Stena Line Route Director Paul Grant.

"We plan to make the facility available to our Stena Plus customers and are confident that it will enhance our premium service offering even further. Although the new ferries will have a crossing time of just 2hr 15mins, our customers will still have enough time to relax and unwind and enjoy their journey even more than before.

"We are always looking at innovative ideas to help improve our offering to customers to ensure that their journey with us is a truly enjoyable experience in itself. The introduction of our Pure Nordic Spas is one such idea and one of a host of on board facilities which are dedicated to leisure and business passengers," he added.

Stena Line's new Cairnryan to Belfast route is scheduled to launch on 21 November. The new Superfast vessels will make 12 crossings per day and each of the ten-deck ships can carry up to 1200 passengers, 660 cars or 110 freight units.

Stena Line delighted with new routes clearance

Stena Line has expressed its delight at the announcement that its acquisition of the DFDS routes from Belfast to Liverpool (Birkenhead) and Belfast to Heysham has been fully approved by the UK Competition Commission.

The acquisition, which amounts to an investment of some £40M, will allow Stena Line to boost its service on the Irish Sea crossings by offering several different alternatives for transportation between Northern Ireland and the rest of Great Britain and will improve service and frequency for passengers and freight.

Irish Sea Area Director Michael McGrath said: "We are naturally delighted to have been given the green light by the UK Competition Commission and will now engage in a process of evaluation and integration in terms of the wider Stena Line business.

“We have always believed that the DFDS acquisition would make a perfect fit for our business and our customers and we are looking forward to implementing our extended route network on the Irish Sea. We believe that the acquisition also strengthens Belfast as a key transport hub within our route network for both freight and tourism traffic."

As part of the deal Stena Line also acquires four ships from DFDS which will include the chartered Lagan Seaways and Mersey Seaways on the Belfast-Liverpool route and the freight carriers Scotia Seaways and Hibernia Seaways. This will bring the number of Stena Line routes on the Irish Sea to six, adding to the existing Stranraer-Belfast, Holyhead-Dublin, Holyhead-Dun Laoghaire and Fishguard-Rosslare ferry routes.

For details of this and other Stena Line services visit www.stenaline.co.uk

Stena Line celebrates National Ferry Fortnight with discounts

Ferry operator Stena Line has announced that it is to offer 15 per cent discounts on bookings made between 14 and 28 May 2011, for travel completed by 8 January 2012 to mark the Passenger Shipping Association's third annual National Ferry Fortnight.

The offer is valid for all vehicle types, "dutchflyer" (rail and sail) and foot passenger bookings, as well as all elements of booking from cabins to pre-booked meals and Stena Plus lounge access.

The 15% discount on travel to Holland offer means a family of four (two adults, two children aged four to 15) can save £24.90 on the lead-in price for a return crossing to Holland with their car and includes unlimited luggage allowance.

The same family would save £35.10 for a return to take Stena Line's "dutchflyer" (rail and sail) option, which includes rail travel from any National Express East Anglia station to any NS rail station within the Netherlands.

The offer includes travel on the two largest Superferries in the world, the Stena Hollandica and Stena Britannica, which launched in May and October respectively last year. Departing twice daily, crossings with Stena Line from Harwich to the Hook of Holland take approximately 6.5 hours with a choice of day or night sailings in each direction.

National Ferry Fortnight has been arranged by the Passenger Shipping Association to help consumers learn about the investments that ferry companies make in order to improve the travelling services for passengers. It also celebrates the benefits of traveling by ferry, highlighting the unlimited luggage allowance, onboard space and facilities and absence of surcharges, lengthy pre-departure check-in times, taxes and queues. The fortnight runs from 14th May till the 28th of May 2011.