# Stena buys two routes & closes another



## Hawkeye (Dec 7, 2005)

Press report seen in Yahoo.

December 2nd, 2010
Stena Line buys two routes on Irish Sea
Stena Line has signed an agreement with DFDS to acquire its Liverpool (Birkenhead) to Belfast and Heysham to Belfast routes. 
The acquisition, which amounts to approximately £40M, will enable Stena Line to improve its service on the Irish Sea by offering several different alternatives for transportation between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
In recent years, Stena Line has invested heavily in significant improvements across the whole of its route network. Irish Sea area director Michael McGrath believes the latest acquisition reflects Stena Line’s commitment to the Irish Sea and will improve service and frequency for passengers and freight.
"These new Irish Sea routes will complement our existing services perfectly and enable us to offer our customers even more options for ferry transport across the Irish Sea,” said McGrath.
“At the same time, we are strengthening Belfast as a transport hub for freight and passengers to and from Northern Ireland," he added.
Included in the purchase from DFDS are four ships which include the chartered Lagan Seaways and Mersey Seaways on the Liverpool-Belfast route and the freight carriers Scotia Seaways and Hibernia Seaways, all of which are now to be taken over by Stena Line.
"We will continue to develop the routes and look at the capacity we will need in the future,” said Stena Line CEO Gunnar Blomdahl. “During the last 10 years, we have invested approximately €250M in our Irish Sea operations and, going forward, we will continue to invest in the development of our services between Britain and Ireland.”
The transaction between Stena Line and DFDS will be notified to the Irish and UK competition authorities. 
In a separate announcement, Stena Line also revealed that, following a decision made some time ago, it will close its Fleetwood to Larne operations due to ongoing losses on the route.
“Since we acquired the route in 2004, we have made progress in terms of improving the quality of service to our customers but, despite all the hard work of everyone associated with the route, we have continued to trade at a significant loss, and it is not envisaged this position will change,” said Irish Sea area director Michael McGrath. 

“The route operates with older tonnage which can be problematic but investment in newer tonnage is not an option as the higher capital costs would make our losses even worse. 
“No business can continue to carry such losses on an ongoing basis so there is no alternative but to close the route at the end of this year,” he added.
“The decision to close Fleetwood to Larne was taken some time ago on the basis of the current and projected performance of the route, and before the opportunity arose to buy these other routes,” he explained.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-11899472


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## Pat Kennedy (Apr 14, 2007)

DFDS only took over these routes from Norfolk Line in the summer, it makes you wonder what on earth is going on.
Apparently DFDS are keeping the B'head Dublin route and are to share the B'head terminal with Stena. 
http://www.afloat.ie/port-and-shipping-news/item/14615-irish-sea-newcomer-sells-route-to-stena/


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## BillH (Oct 10, 2007)

Pat Kennedy said:


> DFDS only took over these routes from Norfolk Line in the summer, it makes you wonder what on earth is going on.
> Apparently DFDS are keeping the B'head Dublin route and are to share the B'head terminal with Stena.
> http://www.afloat.ie/port-and-shipping-news/item/14615-irish-sea-newcomer-sells-route-to-stena/


I am led to believe that both Norfolk Line and DFDS/Tor are related to the Maersk Group in one way or another so perhaps just a paper shuffle preparing for the sale?


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## Purser52 (Nov 25, 2007)

Once Stena pull out of Fleetwood, there will be precious little commercial shipping using the port. This route (and the joint service with B&I to Dublin) started in 1974 under the Pandoro banner with original tonnage Buffalo (now Stena Leader) and Bison (now Stena Pioneer) both still engaged on the route having been lengthened. They and the route transfered to Stena ownership in 2004.


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## BillH (Oct 10, 2007)

Purser52 said:


> Once Stena pull out of Fleetwood, there will be precious little commercial shipping using the port. This route (and the joint service with B&I to Dublin) started in 1974 under the Pandoro banner with original tonnage Buffalo (now Stena Leader) and Bison (now Stena Pioneer) both still engaged on the route having been lengthened. They and the route transfered to Stena ownership in 2004.


From my book "STENA" published by The World Ship Society Ltd.

IMO No. 7361570
F.32. STENA TRAILER (3) / BISON (1974 - 1975)
As built: 3,453g. 1,103n. 5,805d. 125.00(BB) x 19.05 x 3.785 metres.
Post 1981: 4,377g. 1,759n. 4,170d. 141.81(BB) x 19.05 x 4.701 metres.
Post 1992: 4,249g. 1,695n. 7,078d.
Post 1994: 11,723g. 3,517n. 7,078d.
Post 1995: 14,387g. 4,316n. 7,078d. 140.1(BB) x 23.40 x 4.701 metres.
Post 1999: 14,387g. 4,316n. 4,670d.
Post 2000: 14,426g. 4,328n. 4,385d. 141.8(BB) x 23.8 x mwtres.
Two, 12-cyl. 4 S.C.S.A. (370 x 400mm) Deutz RSBV12M540 vee type, oil engines made by Kloeckner Humboldt Deutz, Koeln, geared to twin screw shafts with controllable pitch propellers. 6,000 BHP. 18.5 kts. Two, thwartship thrust propellers forward.
Ice strengthened, 12 berthed passengers / roro cargo / ferry with stern door / ramp.
13.8.1974: Keel laid as STENA TRAILER by J. J. Sietas K. G. Schiffswerke GmbH & Company, Hamburg, (Yard No. 755), for Stena Ab, Sweden. 
31.10.1974: Launched as BISON for charter to P&O Group. 
24.1.1975: Upon completion was sold to Hain Nourse Ltd., (Belfast Steam Ship Company Ltd., managers), London, (P&O Group). 
1976: P&O Ferries Ltd., appointed as managers. 
1979: Transferred to P&O Ferries Ltd., (same managers). 
1981: Lengthened by Tyne Shiprepairers Ltd., Newcastle, increasing passenger capacity to 76 berths. 
1985: Transferred to POETS Fleet Management Ltd. 
1991: Transferred to Pandoro Ltd. 
1995: Widened. 
1997: Renamed EUROPEAN PIONEER, (P&O Ship Management (Irish Sea) Ltd., managers). 
2004: Sold to Stena Ropax Ltd., London, (Stena Line Ltd., Ashford, Kent, managers). 
2004: Renamed STENA PIONEER, retaining Bermudan flag. 

IMO No. 7361582
F.33. STENA TRAVELLER (1) / BUFFALO (1975)
As built: 3,453g. 1,103n. 5,805d. 125.02(BB) x 19.05 x 3.753 metres.
Post 1988: 10,987g. 5,863n. 4,377d. 141.81(BB) x 19.59 x 5.771 metres.
Post 1991: 10,987g. 3,296n. 4,377d.
Post 1998: 12,879g. 3,864n. 3.933d. 156.50 (BB)x 19.59 x 4.300 metres.
Two, 12-cyl. 4 S.C.S.A. (370 x 400mm) Deutz RSBV12M540 vee type, oil engines made by Kloeckner-Humboldt Deutz, Koeln, geared to twin screw shafts with controllable pitch propellers. 6,000 BHP. 18.5 kts. Two, Thwartship thrust propellers forward.
Ice strengthened, 12 berthed passengers / roro cargo / ferry with stern door / ramp.
31.10.1974: Keel laid as STENA TRAVELLER by J. J. Sietas K. G. Schiffswerke GmbH & Company, Hamburg, (Yard No. 756), for Stena Ab, Sweden 
6.1.1975: Launched as BISON for charter to P&O Ferries but was subsequently sold to them. 
26.3.1975: Completed for Hain Nourse Ltd., London, (Belfast Steamship Company Ltd., Belfast, managers). 
1976: P&O Ferries Ltd., appointed as managers. 
1979: Transferred to P&O Ferries Ltd. 
1985: Transferred to POETS Fleet Management Ltd. 
1988: Lengthened, by Hall, Russell & Company Ltd., Aberdeen, at Leith, and then taken to Aberdeen for the addition of an extra 33 passenger berths. 
1991: Transferred to Pandoro Ltd. 
1998: Lengthened and renamed EUROPEAN LEADER, (P&O Ship Management (Irish Sea) Ltd., managers). 
2004: Sold to Stena Ropax Ltd., London, (Stena Line Ltd., Ashford, Kent, managers). 
2004: Renamed STENA LEADER, retaining Bermudan flag.


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## Gulpers (Sep 8, 2005)

More information on the topic in *this* thread.


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