Released on: July 02, 2011, 4:23 am
Author:
Stena Line
Industry:
Travel
Stena Line has expressed its delight at the announcement that its acquisition of the DFDS routes from Belfast to Liverpool (Birkenhead) and Belfast to Heysham has been fully approved by the Competition Commission.
The acquisition, which amounts to approximately £40M investment, will enable Stena
Line to improve its service on the Irish Sea by
offering several different alternatives for transportation between Northern Ireland
and Great Britain and will improve service and frequency for passengers and freight.
Irish Sea Area Director Michael McGrath said: "We are naturally delighted to have been given the green light by the UK Competition Commission and will now engage in a process of evaluation and integration in terms of the wider Stena Line business. We have always believed that the DFDS acquisition would make a perfect fit for our business and our customers and we are looking forward to implementing our extended route network on the Irish Sea. We believe that the acquisition also strengthens Belfast as a key transport hub within our route network for both freight and tourism traffic."
As part of the deal Stena Line will also acquire four ships from DFDS which will include the chartered Lagan Seaways and Mersey Seaways on the Belfast-Liverpool route and the freight carriers Scotia Seaways and Hibernia Seaways. This will bring the number of Stena Line routes on the Irish Sea to six, adding to the existing Stranraer-Belfast, Holyhead-Dublin, Holyhead-Dun Laoghaire and Fishguard-Rosslare ferry routes.
About Stena Line:
Stena Line is the market leader on the Irish Sea, offering the biggest fleet and the
widest choice of routes between Britain and Ireland, including the Stranraer to
Belfast, Holyhead to Dublin Port, Holyhead to Dun Laoghaire, Fishguard to Rosslare
and the two new routes recently acquired from DFDS namely Liverpool to Belfast and
Heysham to Belfast. The company carries over two million passengers on its Irish
Sea routes each year, more than its rival ferry operators combined.
Contact Details: PR Contact:
Eamonn Hewitt
Communications and PR Manager Irish Sea
Stena Line
The Ferry Terminal
Dun Laoghaire
Co. Dublin
00353 1 2047617
www.stenaline.co.uk