STENA LINE's newest cruiseferry started regular crossings on the Dublin-Holyhead route (Irish Sea) on Monday morning, January 13. The 215-m (705-ft) long Stena Estrid is currently one of the most innovative passenger ships, with passenger capacity 1,000 and freight capacity 120 cars.
The official maiden voyage of the ship, an 8:55 am trip from Holyhead to Dublin, was delayed due to adverse weather coinciding with Storm Brendan. However, a 2:50 p.m. departure from Dublin remained on schedule.
The RoPax vessel will make a couple of daily return trips on this route, with a crossing time of 3 hours and 15 minutes. Fares start from EUR 104 each-way for a motorist with a car.
Described as one of the world's most modern ferries, Stena Estrid was built at AVIC Weihai Shipyard Co in China, and is the first of a trio of new "next-generation" ferries that Stena has commissioned for Irish Sea routes.