# Stena Voyager



## mareng53 (May 4, 2010)

Stenaline's HSS vessel "Stena Voyager" has finally left Belfast today under tow for recycling. She is bound for Sweden expected to arrive around the 10th May. Only one HSS vessel left in service now on the UK coast "Stena Explorer" which operates March to September, one trip per day, Holyhead to Ireland. Tremendous vessels when they first came out but ruined by the high cost of fuel for the gas turbine machinery.


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## Erimus (Feb 20, 2012)

Indeed ..and am booked on Explorer twice this month..great 'sea' ships as well.

geoff


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## Harry Grainger (Feb 28, 2007)

Same story as "Euroliner" class container ships in the 70's, and who knows we could all be back to pushbikes one of these days.
Watched her go down the lough this morning, sadly being towed backwards, I assume no area up forward strong enough to take the bollard pull.
To rub salt in the wounds, Seacat of Isle of Man Steam Packet Company passed her off Carrickfergus in bound to Belfast from Douglas.


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## Tony Collins (Aug 29, 2010)

Nothwithstanding the speed of HSS craft, I always thought it was like travelling in a motorway service station. My favourite vessel on the Holyhead/Dun Dagohaire was the long lamented Stena Hibernia. After recieving a pretty heavy knockdown, she still made it into port.


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## Erimus (Feb 20, 2012)

Tony.......On the Irish Sea I prefer the Motorway Service Station thank you....after travelling on deck for 13 hours as an Air Scout from Heysham to Belfast it isn't my favourite place!

geoff


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## Boatman25 (May 17, 2010)

Harry Grainger said:


> To rub salt in the wounds, Seacat of Isle of Man Steam Packet Company passed her off Carrickfergus in bound to Belfast from Douglas.


I think you mean *Manannan* Seacat has long gone


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## Erimus (Feb 20, 2012)

Lloyds Loadsing List report.

Stena Line’s HSS vessel, the Stena Voyager, which operated on the Belfast-Stranraer route between 1996 and 2011, is making its last journey as it heads to the recycling yard. 

The high-speed ferry was unique in its class and made more than 45,000 sailings between Northern Ireland and Scotland.

When commissioned by Stena Line, the HSS series of three ships, including the Stena Voyager, helped to revolutionised the look of the ferry industry. With a top speed of 40 knots and freight capacity for 375 vehicles, the ferry became an instant hit with customers.

Michael McGrath, Stena’s Chief Operating Officer, said: “Unfortunately, the spiralling costs of operating the Stena Voyager became all too high. When the Voyager was first put into service fuel was approximately $20 per barrel and now the price is around $110 – for a fuel-hungry vessel this is simply untenable.”

The Stena Voyager will be moved to the Öresundsvarvet shipyard in Landskrona, Sweden. All its components will be recycled, as far as is possible, said the line.

Staffan Persson, MD of Stena Recycling, said: “Recycling the large quantities of aluminium in the Stena Voyager will save up to 150 tonnes of carbon dioxide and the metal can be reused in the form of car parts or furniture, for example.”

geoff


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## joe732 (Aug 24, 2010)

Harry Grainger said:


> Same story as "Euroliner" class container ships in the 70's, and who knows we could all be back to pushbikes one of these days.
> Watched her go down the lough this morning, sadly being towed backwards, I assume no area up forward strong enough to take the bollard pull.
> To rub salt in the wounds, Seacat of Isle of Man Steam Packet Company passed her off Carrickfergus in bound to Belfast from Douglas.


Harry

Yes your correct, nowhere strong enough up forward for the tow connection.

I assume it would be an interesting tow, stern first, wonder what the directional stability was like.

Joe.


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## Erimus (Feb 20, 2012)

The life of all those Incat Hulls was somewhat less than hoped for.....Stena Lynx3/aka Stena Express/aka Elite/ aka Sunflower2/etc etc built as Incat40....was pulled earlier than planned, she was slightly larger and until recently had been working somewhere between islands in Japan...now laid up like most of the others...she is in Busan Korea........would imagine that none of them have a future other than furniture or troop carriers!

geoff


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## Tony Collins (Aug 29, 2010)

joe732 said:


> Harry
> 
> I assume it would be an interesting tow, stern first, wonder what the directional stability was like.
> 
> Joe.


Perhaps they trailed a sea anchor! (sorry)(Jester)


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## mareng53 (May 4, 2010)

The tow went quite successfully and the Stena Voyager arrived in Sweden at the dismantling yard on time on the 10th May. There are photos and information at irish-ferries-enthusiasts.com at the news board under stena line fleet movements-you can visit as a guest.


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