Stena Europe is back on the Fishguard to Rosslare run after six weeks in dry dock for ‘complex repairs’ that were discovered to be necessary during a routine inspection.

The ferry was initially taken off the Fishguard to Rosslare run in the middle of May when Stena confirmed that the ferry had been sent for repairs at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast 'following a routine inspection'. No replacement vessel was forthcoming, and sailings were initially cancelled until May 21.

However, at the end of May the company said that the repairs were still ongoing, with the ferry due to be back on the run by initially by June 4 and then June 24.

The Fishguard to Rosslare route was badly hit by Brexit and Covid-19 at the beginning of this year with freight crossings down by 70 percent and a reduction in services.

However, in April the company announced that it was boosting the frequency of its sailings between Fishguard and Rosslare from 14 sailings to 24 every week.

The Europe finally returned to Fishguard last Wednesday, June 30.

“Stena Line can confirm that the Stena Europe is now back in service on the Fishguard-Rosslare route,” said a company spokesperson.

“A combination of complex engineering tasks and issues sourcing parts caused an unexpected delay to the return of the vessel.

“During this time, however, the company has been able to enhance some passenger facilities as well as stocking up on a range of onboard Duty-Free products which are now available to passenger, to ensure that the Stena Europe returned fully functional and ready for an anticipated busy summer period.”