Once it starts on its new route next summer, the Stena Vision will join the Stena Horizon in sailing between Rosslare and Cherbourg.
The Stena Vision has capacity for 1,300 passengers and sports 485 passenger cabins.
Although the move appears to be made primarily with tourism in mind, the change will see yet more Ireland-France freight capacity come on stream post-Brexit.
Commenting on the announcement, Paul Grant, Irish Sea Trade Director at Stena Line, said:
“Ahead of what is expected to be a busy summer in 2023, we will be doubling our sailing frequency and tripling our passenger capacity for tourists on our Rosslare – Cherbourg service as well significantly increasing freight capacity. We’ve seen increased demand for more services and bigger vessels and are pleased to announce that from next June we will have 12 sailings weekly on the shortest and most frequent direct service between Ireland and France. We are delighted to offer more options and choice for our customers with this significant addition to our Irish Sea fleet.”
When the Stena Vision begins its maiden journey on the route, Stena Line will be the only ferry operator offering departures and arrivals in both directions on the Rosslare – Cherbourg for six days every week.
The Stena Vision is currently being used on the Karlskrona to Gdynia route in the Baltic sea. Fortunately, for the benefit of those regularly using Sweden – Poland ferry services, the loss of the Stena Vision does not mean the loss of the route itself.
Stena Line has announced that the Stena Vision will be replaced on the Baltic Sea route by a new larger E-Flexer, the Stena Ebba. In the new year, the Gdynia – Karlskrona route will be operated by three ferries – the Stena Estelle, Stena Ebba and Stena Spirit.