Developed by:	Stena Rederi AB

Stena Voyager is a high-speed ferry

High-speed craft

A high-speed craft is a high speed water vessel for civilian use, also called a fastcraft or fast ferry.The first high-speed craft were often hydrofoils or hovercraft, but in the 1990s catamaran and even monohull designs have become popular.Most high-speed craft serve as passenger ferries, but the...

 owned by Stena Line and operated on their Belfast–Stranraer service. The boat is a member of the HSS 1500 class of high-speed ferries developed and introduced by Stena Line from 1996 onwards.

Design and construction

Stena Voyager was constructed by Finnyards in Rauma

Rauma, Finland

Rauma is a town and municipality of ca. inhabitants on the west coast of Finland, north of Turku, and south of Pori. Granted town privileges on May 17, 1442 , Rauma is known of its high quality lace , and of the old wooden architecture of its centre , which is a Unesco world heritage...

, Finland

Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

. Construction commenced in May 1995 and was completed in June 1996, before entering service in July 1996.

The vessel is a catamaran

Catamaran

A catamaran is a type of multihulled boat or ship consisting of two hulls, or vakas, joined by some structure, the most basic being a frame, formed of akas...

, and was designed with the aim of providing a comfortable and fast service. The sailing time between Belfast and Stranraer is 119 minutes.

Power is provided by four GE Aviation gas turbine

Gas turbine

A gas turbine, also called a combustion turbine, is a type of internal combustion engine. It has an upstream rotating compressor coupled to a downstream turbine, and a combustion chamber in-between....

s in a twin combined gas and gas (COGAG) configuration. The vessel employs four Kamewa waterjets for propulsion.

The HSS class of ferries were designed to allow quick turnarounds at port. A specially designed linkspan

Linkspan

A linkspan or link-span is a type of drawbridge used mainly in the operation of moving vehicles on and off a RO-RO vessel or ferry.Linkspans are usually found at ferry terminals where a vessel uses a combination of ramps either at the stern, bow or side to load or unload cars, vans, trucks and...

 provides ropeless mooring and allows quick loading, unloading and servicing. Vehicles are loaded via two of the four stern doors and park in a "U" configuration. When disembarking, vehicles drive straight off via the other two doors.

Career

Stena Voyager has spent the majority of its career sailing on its original route between Belfast and Stranraer, apart from short periods covering for its sister ships.

When the Stena Voyager was introduced on the Belfast–Stranraer route it was advertised as having a crossing time of 85 minutes, however this crossing time was not possible due to speed restrictions introduced on Belfast Lough

Belfast Lough

Belfast Lough is a large, natural intertidal sea lough at the mouth of the River Lagan on the east coast of Northern Ireland. The inner part of the lough comprises a series of mudflats and lagoons. The outer lough is restricted to mainly rocky shores with some small sandy bays...

 to prevent the high waves created by the vessel when at speed. Due to the speed restrictions, the vessel's crossing time was increased to 105 minutes.

In 2008, the crossing time was increased to 119 minutes, allowing an 8% reduction in fuel consumption. At the end of 2009 the Stena HSS's timetable was cut from four round trips a day to two.

Uncertain future

During 2010, Stena Line were beginning the process of transfer operations from Stranraer Port to a new port facility at Cairnryan

Cairnryan

Cairnryan is a small Scottish village in Dumfries and Galloway on the eastern shore of Loch Ryan. The village has been of vital importance in maritime history.-Ferry Port:...

, five miles further north up Loch Ryan

Loch Ryan

Loch Ryan is a Scottish sea loch that acts as an important natural harbour for shipping, providing calm waters for ferries operating between Scotland and Northern Ireland...

 than the previous port. The new port at Old Light House Point will be called Loch Ryan Port. Planning application materials submitted in 2008 stated that a pair of new conventional Ropax ferries operating at 21–24 knots would take over all operations on the service, replacing the operations of Stena Voyager and the traditional ferry . The new pair of vessels would provide a passage time of 2 hours between Scotland and Belfast and be fitted out with "passenger facilities similar to an HSS". No HSS-compatible linkspan was planned to be provided at the new port.

In March 2011, Stena Line announced the Stena Voyager and her running partners on the Belfast – Stranraer route (Stena Caledonia

MS Stena Caledonia

Stena Caledonia was a ro-pax ferry operated by Stena Line between Stranraer - Belfast.-History:The Stena Caledonia was built in 1980 as the St David for Sealink...

 and Stena Navigator

MS Stena Navigator

MS Stena Navigator was a ferry owned by Stena Line, operated on their Belfast - Stranraer route until 16 November 2011. She was built in 1984 by Chantiers Dubigeon S.A. in Prairie-au-Duc, Nantes, France for SNCF as Champs Elysees. From 1997 to 2009, she was owned by SeaFrance under the name...

) wert to be replaced in Autumn 2011 by the Stena Superfast VII and Stena Superfast VIII chartered from Estonian ferry operator Tallink

Tallink

Tallink is an Estonian shipping company currently operating Baltic Sea cruiseferries and ropax ships from Estonia to Finland, Estonia to Sweden, Latvia to Sweden and Finland to Germany. They also own Silja Line and a part of SeaRail...

.. Stena Voyager was widthdrawn from service on 20 November 2011 and is currently laid up in Belfast

Belfast

Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...

 facing an uncertain future.

On-board facilities

There are numerous catering facilities on board the Stena Voyager, including a bar, coffee shop, and quick-service restaurant. The "Stena Plus" business lounge is available at an additional cost. Also available are shopping facilities, a video games arcade, and seating areas. Passenger cabins are not available due to the short journey time.

In 2008 the Stena Voyager received a major refit which included a new Stena Plus area, Quiet Lounge and a New York City Nails nail bar with a new Barista Coffee Shop at the rear at the craft along with other upgrades.

Incidents

On 28 January 2009, a lorry

Truck

A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, with the smallest being mechanically similar to an automobile...

 (carrying ferrous sulphate powder

Iron(II) sulfate

Iron sulfate or ferrous sulfate is the chemical compound with the formula FeSO4. Known since ancient times as copperas and as green vitriol, the blue-green heptahydrate is the most common form of this material...

) burst through the stern doors of the Stena Voyager shortly after departure. Because of this, the ferry had to return to Stranraer. Subsequent sailings were postponed.
The cause of the accident was the driver of the lorry failing to park it in gear and to apply the handbrake. The vehicle was insufficiently secured to the ship's deck.

Trivia

In 2009, Stena Voyager appeared in the BBC television series Top Gear. Jeremy Clarkson

Jeremy Clarkson

Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson is an English broadcaster, journalist and writer who specialises in motoring. He is best known for his role on the BBC TV show Top Gear along with co-presenters Richard Hammond and James May...

, ostensibly having missed the ferry, fired a Renault Twingo

Renault Twingo

The Renault Twingo is a city car built by French automaker Renault, first presented at the Paris Motor Show in September 1992 and sold in continental European markets beginning in 1993...

at the back of the departing Stena Voyager. The car sank into the wash behind the departing ferry.