Developed by:	Stena Rederi AB

Stena Explorer 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 Holyhead–Dún Laoghaire service between Great Britain and Ireland. It is a member of the HSS 1500 class of high-speed ferries introduced and developed by Stena Line from 1996 onwards. The HSS 1500 class vessels are the largest catamarans in the world.

Design and construction

Stena Explorer 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...

, at a cost £65million. Construction commenced in June 1994 and was completed in February 1996, before entering service in April 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 Holyhead and Dún Laoghaire 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.

Onboard facilities

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

Career

Stena Explorer has spent the majority of her career sailing on her original route between Holyhead and Dún Laoghaire.

Due to increasing world price of oil the Stena HSS has recently had her crossing time extended to around 119 minutes in a bid to trim her fuel bill. Over the years, the Stena HSS' timetable has gradually been reduced from an initial five round-trips a day, down to just one round-trip a day.

Stena Line replaced the vessel with the Stena Lynx III, which ran twice daily from 15 March 2010 to the end of 2010 apart from May to September, when the HSS Stena Explorer operated the route once daily to relieve the Stena Lynx so she could run on the Fishguard - Rosslare route.

On 26 May 2010, Stena Line re-instated the HSS back on the Holyhead - Dún Laoghaire route one month earlier than planned.

On 14 September 2010, Stena Explorer left the Holyhead - Dún Laoghaire route with her last 2010 sailing being the 13:15 departure from Dún Laoghaire. Stena Lynx III operated the route until Sunday 9 January 2011. Stena Explorer returned on 1st April 2011 and will operate the route until 13 September 2011 on a one sailing a day basis.

Between 9-22 June 2011, Stena Explorer operated two round trips a day, due to the MS Stena Adventurer, which operates on Stena Lines' Holyhead - Dublin service receiving her annual refit in Liverpool

Liverpool

Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...

.

Stena have decided to make the Holyhead - Dún Laoghaire service a seasonal route following the final 2011 sailing on the 13th of September. The route will resume again in April or May 2012.

Incidents

On 20 September 2001, Stena Explorer suffered a generator fire in one of her pontoons. Whilst reversing to dock at her berth in Holyhead, a fire was detected in her auxiliary (generator) engine room in the port pontoon. Shortly after, the CCTV

Closed-circuit television

Closed-circuit television is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors....

 system, normally used for visual docking, became disabled due to lack of power. Knowing that just-completed checks showed that fire doors (lasting at least one hour) were closed, permission to shut off the engine in question was (correctly) denied by the Master of the Ship until final approach line up with the Linkspan was confirmed. At this point the failing Cummins

Cummins

Cummins Inc. is a Fortune 500 corporation that designs, manufactures, distributes and services engines and related technologies, including fuel systems, controls, air handling, filtration, emission control and electrical power generation systems...

 generator was shut-off.

In lieu of the CCTV system, docking distances were relayed to the bridge by portable radio. Berthing was complete within 5 minutes of the original fire alarm and fresh water was taken on board to replenish the Hi-fog fire suppression system whilst all 551 passengers were safely off-loaded. The fire brigade attended and the Hi-fog water mist was deactivated at their request. A nine-month Marine Accident Investigation Branch

Marine Accident Investigation Branch

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch established in 1989 following the Herald of Free Enterprise disaster is a branch of the United Kingdom Department for Transport which can investigate any accident occurring in UK waters, regardless of the nationality of the vessel involved, and accidents...

investigation found the fault to be incorrect fitting of a compression-fitting used for a high-pressure fuel line leading to fuel spraying and igniting upon contact with the hot turbo-charger unit.