| A new Superfast VII arrival

THE new Stena Line ship, Superfast VII, has
arrived on the shores of her purpose built
Loch Ryan homeport in Cairnryan (CW 13 Oct).
The arrival signifies the launch of a new
ferry route between Scotland and Northern
Ireland, which commenced earlier this week.
Superfast VII will soon be joined by her
sistership Superfast VIII at the 27 acre Scottish
port, with the pair to offer 10 scheduled
sailings per day between Scotland and
Northern Ireland.
Each sailing will be completed in 2.15 hours,
with Stena Line upping the frequency of
crossings to 12 per day from 05 Dec.
The new route is part of a $320m rolling
investment program which also included the
construction of a Belfast Port and terminal
facility that opened in Jun 2008.
The new Loch Ryan Port includes a 1,500
square metre passenger and freight terminal,
whilst the newly acquired Superfast VII and
Superfast VIII each measure 203 metres, have
capacity for 1,200 passengers, 660 cars or 110
freight units, and feature onboard highlights
including Pure Nordic Spas which include a
Jacuzzi and sauna for passenger use.