Another Allision Disrupts Ireland-UK Ferry Services

Isle of Innisfree (Gordon Leggett / CC BY 4.0)

Published Dec 22, 2024 11:36 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

 

After two allisions damaged the terminal used for the Dublin-Holyhead ferry route earlier this month, Irish Ferries pivoted to open a new route between Dublin and Fishguard. On Friday, that route was also temporarily shut down by a dock allision on the inaugural voyage. 

During Storm Durragh in early December, two separate allisions damaged the Terminal 3 berth used by Irish Ferries, "resulting in part of the berthing structure collapsing and rendering it unusable," according to Holyhead Port. Drone footage of the scene appears to show that a mooring dolphin was toppled over into the water. 

The damage shut down the port until January 15, forcing traffic between Wales and Dublin to reroute. An initial assessment suggested that the port would be back up and running by December 20, but further investigation showed that the damage was more serious than expected, Irish Taoiseach Simon Harris told local media. 

Stena Line and Irish Ferries ordinarily operate up to five ferries a day from Holyhead, and the shutdown impedes freight and passenger transport. "We're really going to struggle to get goods delivered to both the high street and for internet shopping" in time for Christmas, Irish Road Haulage Association President Ger Hyland told Afloat.ie. 

To resolve the bottleneck, Irish Ferries and Stena Line have worked with the Welsh government and other ports in the region to find alternatives. Ken Skates, Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales, pledged to "leave no stone unturned in urgently identifying alternative solutions." Both lines have reassigned vessels and set up temporary services between Dublin and Fishguard, a port 90 miles to the south of Holyhead.   

On Friday, the ferry Isle of Innisfree was arriving at Fishguard for its first voyage on the new route when it hit the quay, putting a hole in the starboard bow. 

Isle of Innisfree quickly returned to service, according to Irish Ferries' online tracker. The ferry is on the schedule for normal departures beginning Monday.