Stena Line new fast craft...?

Dub13

While driving past the point the other day I noticed a seacat type ship in dublin port with the Stena Line logo etc on it.I was not aware they were running fast craft ships from Dublin port the only one I am aware of is the HSS from Dun Laoghaire.

Can anybody shed some light on this..?

Lennoxschips

Could have been one of the ones from Rosslare on temporary duty or something, or in for service.

Dub13

Lennoxschips wrote: »

Could have been one of the ones from Rosslare on temporary duty or something, or in for service.

I dont think they have any fast craft working out of Rosslare.

SimonMaher

Its the funky little Lynx that operates out of Rosslare during the summer season. Its tied up in Dublin port for the winter.

Simon

afatbollix

its a class looking boat... noticed it parked up at night and weekends.. thought it was strange as them boats are ussally on the go 24 /7... fuel must be alot of it... also its very small.. how many cars can it take.. can it even take a lorry?

Dub13

Simon Maher wrote: »

Its the funky little Lynx that operates out of Rosslare during the summer season. Its tied up in Dublin port for the winter.

Simon

Thanks,I was hoping we were going to get some more competition out of Dublin.

L1011

Its only 81 metres and a quick google suggests 153 cars, no trucks.

It always over-winters somewhere, lower demand and worse seas in winter make it un-needed an impracticable anyway.

Macers

Hi Lads,

Sorry to hijack the thread - does anyone know the fate of the Stena Discovery? I know it was moored in Belfast in 2007 hoping to be sold but haven't heard anything since...

John R

It is still there. They put it up for sale but realistically there was not much chance of anyone else taking it. It is unlikely to be used again IMO.

The Stena Explorer probably only has another year or two at the most left. The Dun Laoghaire-Holyhead run has now been cut down to one return sailing a day (at one point the HSS managed 5 return trips) along with an extra conventional ferry on the Dublin-Holyhead route.

SickCert

The Sea Lynx 3 was kept in Birkenhead docks last winter, might be cheaper here this year?

Sad to see the 3rd HSS still rotting away in Belfast - I think Dun Laoghaire is covered to 2011.

The Lynx isnt showing up on the sat nav site LINK

L1011

Whats happened to kill off cross-Irish Sea traffic? Most people I know who'd use the ferry over flying still do prefer the ferry... and there can't be much reduction in road freight. Yet the last time I did the crossing, the Ulysses on the way over was near empty and the Swift on the way back was well below what your average Sunday evening loading used to be too.

D.L.R.

MYOB wrote: »

Whats happened to kill off cross-Irish Sea traffic?

Ryanair.

Run_to_da_hills

John R wrote: »

It is still there. They put it up for sale but realistically there was not much chance of anyone else taking it. It is unlikely to be used again IMO.

It would be worth a few bob in scrap, the Hull is made of aluminium. I hope they have good security.:D

SickCert

MYOB wrote: »

Whats happened to kill off cross-Irish Sea traffic? Most people I know who'd use the ferry over flying still do prefer the ferry... and there can't be much reduction in road freight. Yet the last time I did the crossing, the Ulysses on the way over was near empty and the Swift on the way back was well below what your average Sunday evening loading used to be too.

Planes.
Im off to Blackpool on Wednesday for €5 each way, 30 min flight.
BUT since Ryanair is pulling out of Blackpool on Jan 5th i will be back to bringing the car across north Wales for €300 , 6hr day.
I prefer the Ferry when i have the family but when alone the plane suited.

Lennoxschips

I've been on the Stena Discovery a few times from Hoek van Holland to Harwich. Brilliant boat. Except on a route of that length it used something like 175 thousand litres of diesel per trip. Which, divided over something like 1200 passangers, is an incredible waste. Flying uses much less fuel.

I've been on the Sea Lynx from Fishguard to Rosslare too. Manky little thing, smells like sick as well.

Alun

Lennoxschips wrote: »

I've been on the Stena Discovery a few times from Hoek van Holland to Harwich. Brilliant boat. Except on a route of that length it used something like 175 thousand litres of diesel per trip. Which, divided over something like 1200 passangers, is an incredible waste. Flying uses much less fuel.

AFAIK Those things use aviation fuel, not diesel (the engines are turbines).

SickCert

from http://www.dlharbour.ie/content/stena/hss_story.php

Power Supply

The new Stena HSS 1500 ferry, with a top speed of more than 40 knots, will be able to compete with the airline traffic in terms of speed on many of its routes. Which is, perhaps, not really surprising - the crucial parts of the HSS 1500's engines are taken directly from the world of aviation.

The smaller of the two different types of gas turbines are used in the Swedish Airforce's new fighter, attack and reconnaissance aircraft, the Saab Gripen, while the larger of the two types is used in the long-haul Boeing 747 aircraft.

There are several reasons why Stena's designers elected to use aircraft engine type gas turbines as the power source for the new Stena HSS 1500. They produce cleaner exhaust fumes than conventional diesel engines, require less space, weigh less, have a high level of operational reliability and are virtually vibration-free.

The General Electric manufactured gas turbines on the Stena HSS have been rebuilt for maritime use, with each of the two hulls containing two types, one large and one small. The larger develops approximately 30,000 horsepower at 3,600 RPM, while the smaller develops approximately 20,000 horsepower at 6,500 RPM. The maritime versions of the gas turbines are powered by a light diesel oil with a very low sulphur content.

The gas turbines, including the power turbines, are completely encased in fire and soundproof containers, known as turbine modules. Each of the two hulls contains two turbine modules - one large, one small.

In narrow waters the HSS 1500 can be powered by the two smaller engine packages, giving a maximum speed of 25 knots. When the larger modules are in operation, the vessel has an approximate top speed of 32 knots, and when all four modules are operating at full power, the ferry's speed can exceed 40 knots.

Stena has chosen to use water jets from the Swedish firm KaMeWa, in Kristinehamn, for the ferry's forward propulsion, instead of conventional propellers. Not only are the water jet units efficient at high speeds, they also produce benefits in the form of improved manoeuvrability and a radical reduction in the vessel's draught.

The four water jets, two in each aft section of the vessel, draw in water through inlets in the ferry's bottom. The impeller (the propeller in a water jet) is located inside the units in a space sufficiently large for a fully grown man to stand upright.

Right at the back of the water jet units lie the massive steering and reversing drives. Each steering drive can be turned 30 degrees to starboard or port and thus steer the ferry in the desired direction. The HSS 1500 reverses by dropping massive scoops aft of the nozzles through which the water jets are angled diagonally downwards and forward.

Capt'n Midnight

Lennoxschips wrote: »

I've been on the Stena Discovery a few times from Hoek van Holland to Harwich. Brilliant boat. Except on a route of that length it used something like 175 thousand litres of diesel per trip. Which, divided over something like 1200 passangers, is an incredible waste. Flying uses much less fuel.

I've been on the Sea Lynx from Fishguard to Rosslare too. Manky little thing, smells like sick as well.

you are using 145 litres per passanger per journey at that rate a ryanair 737 with 169 passengers would take 24,505 litres which sounds about right ?

then again there is a lot more than 15Kg of baggage for each person on the boat