Irish Continental takes delivery of much delayed cruise ferry

Written by Nick Blenkey
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DECEMBER 12, 2018 — Irish Ferries parent companyy Irish Continental Group plc today finally took delivery of the cruise ferry W.B.Yeats from German shipbuilder Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesselschaft & Co.KG (FSG).

It is the largest passenger ferry the Flensburg shipyard has ever built and was originally supposed to enter service on the Irish Sea in July this year, but shipyard delays forced that date to be pushed back to September. That date, too, was missed and today Irish Continental said that the ship will now undergo commissioning with Irish Ferries and is expected to commence services initially on the Dublin to Holyhead route in early January 2019, before switching to Dublin to France route in March 2019.

The W.B.Yeats has been designed to best meet the operational seasonality of Irish Ferries’ business and jas the ability to service all of Irish Ferries existing routes between Ireland, France and Britain. The ship has been built to Ice Class specification which will allow for a wide geographic area of operation should opportunities arise.

The cruise ferry will accommodate 1,800 passengers, offering 440 cabins including luxury suites. Deck space can accommodate 2,800 lane meters of freight (165 freight vehicles) plus an additional dedicated car deck with capacity for 300 passenger cars.

“This is the first of two newbuilds commissioned by ICG with a total contracted investment of €315 million,” said Irish Continental CEO Eamonn Rothwell. “The second vessel is expected to be delivered during 2020.”

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