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History |
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| The Stena HSS project was supposed to
deliver the passenger ferry of the future 'as big as a football
pitch' was one example used to describe the sheer size of a ship
which is still the largest catamaran fast ferry afloat. Part of a
three ship order, HSS Stena Explorer was the first ship to be
delivered and sailed on her maiden voyage on 10th April 1996. Howls
of protest from traditionalists followed but so did thousands of
passengers eager to take advantage of the significant speed
advantage that the ship delivered. Capable of completing the 54 nautical mile passage from Holyhead to Dun Laoghaire in around 99 minutes, the ship completed up to 4 sailing per day. There was actually room for a 5th trip if required. What was significant about the HSS was her ability to carry 50 freight vehicles or a combination of freight and passenger cars of which she could carry 375. Passenger capacity at its limit was 1500 persons for which a crew of 46 was required. The ship operates with a number of passenger certificates for differing traffic volumes. The actual pc she is sailing on is displayed in the pursers office on the notice board. When delivered the ship offered extensive children's gaming facilities which were removed after only a couple of years and replaced by a rather cheap looking shop. Similarly the Mc Donald's in the main food court area was replaced with Burger King and the a la carte restaurant replaced with a club class lounge. Despite other cosmetic make overs which have actually made the ship more elegant, she remains structurally as she was at delivery. The HSS looks like no other ship and is perhaps hampered by the fact that she requires very specific loading facilities. Unlike a conventional ship, she does not berth alongside using ropes instead she is 'hooked' onto her own link span which has four lanes for discharge and loading of vehicles. It is not uncommon to see cars being loaded and unloaded simultaneously which speeds up turnaround times. Passengers board through the stern of the ship via passenger
Stena Discovery berthed at Harwich The HSS concept was sound. A craft capable of replacing two slow conventional ships able to offer a plethora of passenger facilities, capable of carrying a mix of cargo and passengers in half the time taken by the slower conventional ships. But designed in the days before Ryanair and easyJet when fuel was cheap and duty free brought in valuable onboard spend revenue, she now finds herself operating in a world with very different parameters. High fuel prices are the principle reason that in the later part of her 10th year of service, the Stena Explorer will be operating just two round trips per day. In the early part of the year it is not uncommon for the ship to miss weeks of sailings because of refit and cover for the Stena Voyager at Stranraer. The HSS concept was to have been the new standard for Stena with 600,900,1500 and 2000 capacity ships rumoured to have been on the cards but in the end only 3 HSS1500 craft and 1 HSS900 were delivered. The Stena Explorer has never been popular with Maritime Journalists who regard her as simply too expensive to be viable. Andit is true that the route has suffered excessive losses during the life of the HSS which may or may not be offset by the presence of the Stena Adventurer on the neighbouring Dublin service. I personally like the HSS. Tome she is ideal for the type of travelling I undertake - largely Dublin day trips. The port of Dun Laoghaire rebuilt to take the HSS is a great gateway with the DART local rail service into Dublin right outside the terminal building. I hope that the HSS weathers the storm of high fuel prices and enjoys a longand successful career. For more information about the HSS please visit http://www.dlharbour.ie/content/stena/hss_story.php Chris Brindle 10th April 2006 |
