Stena Line has been chosen by Dublin Port Company to operate a new Dublin to Birkenhead service starting in early 2024.
P&O has decided to terminate its Dublin-Liverpool route by the end of 2023 due to a lack of availability of a berth in Merseyside next year.
The Port Company solicited proposals for ferry lines interested in servicing west coast English or Welsh ports (excluding Holyhead), resulting in Stena Line’s selection.
Seatruck Ferries and CLDN, the parent company, will also expand their Dublin-Liverpool services through a shared freight terminal agreement.
Stena Line will begin its freight service between Dublin and Birkenhead in mid-February, while Seatruck Ferries will relocate its Dublin-Heysham freight service to Terminal 5 next month.
The decision to award licenses to both Stena Line and Seatruck Ferries maximizes Dublin Port’s existing infrastructure, enhances capacity, and supports competition on direct shipping routes between Dublin Port and England.
Stena Line already operates routes from Dublin Port to Holyhead and from Birkenhead to Belfast, and this new service will complement those routes, establishing key logistics hubs on both sides of the Irish Sea.
The new service is expected to provide more choice for freight customers and increase capacity and operational efficiency at Dublin Port for both Stena Line and Seatruck Ferries.
Cormac Kennedy, Head of Commercial with Dublin Port said: “this is good news for Irish exporters and importers. Stena already operates a route from Belfast to Birkenhead. “I think the important thing for exporters and importers is that we’ve managed to maintain choice, both on the Dublin-Holyhead-Heysham routes, and it combines well with the existing competitive routes that operate on Dublin-Holyhead.”
