Irish Sea

As the only country with which the UK shares a land border Ireland is the closest country to the UK in more ways than one. With strong trade links, especially in the food and drink and textile markets the two countries exchange hundreds of tonnes of freight a day.

Here, Freightlink answers some of the most common questions about freight ferry travel on the Irish sea.

Passenger or Freight?

With as many as 13 ferry routes separating UK mainland from the island of Ireland you are not spoilt for choice, especially with services departing at regular intervals around the clock. With strong tourism links supporting the strong trade links there can be a distinct split between those ferry services designed to cater for the passenger market, and those specifically targeting freight. Freight only operator Seatruck Ferries have built their entire business model around unaccompanied drop trailer traffic. Their services from North West England to Larne, Warrenpoint and Dublin are popular in this market, and the ferries are only designed to carry 12 drivers per sailing. Other services are primarily operational with the passenger market in mind. For example, the Irish Ferries vessel Jonathan Swift is a fast ferry designed for cars and foot passengers. Operating virtually all year round it is the quickest route from the UK Mainland (Holyhead) to the Republic of Ireland (Dublin), crossing in less than 2 hours. That’s not to say, of course, that the Swift can’t carry freight – it can. But it will only take vehicles up to around 10metres in length and 10tonne in gross vehicle weight. Of course, come summer holidays freight spaces can be at a premium. Most other services will welcome freight and passengers in equal measure, and freight drivers can enjoy facilities designed for passengers, whilst often getting some perks of their own.

What about other fast ferries?

The recent rises in the cost of fuel have generally made fast ferries on the Irish Sea unviable. The Swift is the only vessel which seems to be able to operate two round trips a day, almost year round. Stena Line fast ferry services have been phased out over a number of years. For example, the Stena Voyager, which used to operate a high speed service on the Stranraer – Belfast route was deemed surplus to requirements when Stena Line opened their new port at Loch Ryan, and brought in two newer, more efficient vessels. Meanwhile on the Republic of Ireland route, the Stena Explorer now only operates one round trip a day on the Holyhead – Dun Laoghaire route between April and September, carrying with it a price premium.

What’s peak and off peak?

The Irish Sea has traditionally operated on a “peak” and “off peak” pricing policy for freight. Basically, this means that if you are able to travel at less popular times, you will enjoy a cheaper price. Whilst there are no hard and fast rules to determine peak and off peak and the ferry operators set their own conditions, it can generally be assumed that anything departing between around 9am and 5pm is off peak, anything outside of this is peak. Overnight departures are always peak. There are of course a couple of exceptions – Stena Line’s 08:20 departure from Holyhead and 16:00 departure from Dublin are both classified as peak. The Swift sailings have their own price classification.

Hasn’t there been some route closures recently?

Yes, 2010 into 2011 saw a number of changes on the Irish Sea route network. The closure of the Fleetwood – Larne and Birkenhead – Dublin routes removed spare capacity from the marketplace. Stena Line’s purchase of the Birkenhead – Belfast and Heysham – Belfast routes was completed in September 2011. Along with the transfer from Stranraer to the new Cairnryan port this means that the Irish Sea market is much more stable in 2012.

What do I need to travel to Ireland?

Being part of the Common Travel Area means that UK citizens only need photographic identification in the form of a driving licence to travel to either Northern or the Republic of Ireland. However, passports are recommended wherever possible.