IRISH Ferries launches its new £60 million superferry in Rotterdam today. The Isle of Inishmore, with a capacity for up to 2,300 passengers and crew, will go into service on the Dublin Holyhead route next February. It will complete the Irish Sea crossing in three hours.
As the company prepared for the launch, more than 200 Irish Ferries staff announced yesterday that they would march to the Dail next week over plans to lay them off for seven months.
The general secretary of the Seamen's Union of Ireland, Mr William Stacey, said that the union was still available for talks over the proposed lay offs on the Rosslare France routes. The SUI has served notice of a strike for October 16th on the routes if the company does not withdraw the lay offs.
The launch of the Isle of Inishmore marks a total investment of just over £180 million on vessels and shore facilities by Irish Ferries since 1992. The 33,000 tonne ferry will be the largest multi purpose passenger ferry operating in northern Europe, the company says.
It was built by the Dutch shipbuilders Van der Giessen de Noord, the same yard which built Irish Ferries' other vessel, the Isle of Innisfree last year. The Isle of Innisfree, which currently operates on the DublinHolyhead route, will transfer to the Rosslare Pembroke route when the new ship goes into service.
The new vessel can carry 550 passengers more than the Isle of Innisfree and can carry up to 856 cars and 122 trucks. It is 600 feet (182.5 metres) long and 90 feet (27.8 metres) wide and three times higher than the GPO at 146 feet (44.4 metres).
The launching ceremony will be performed by Mrs Sandra Carey, whose husband, Frank, is Irish Continental Group's marketing director. Those attending the launch will include senior executives, officials from the Departments of Marine and Tourism, financiers and shipyard workers.
Next week's march by Irish Ferries staff is being organised by the Irish Ferries Workers' Action Group.
Its spokesman, Mr John Browne, says that employees were stunned to hear of the lay offs through the media last week. The company is proposing to lay off permanent and temporary staff on the Rosslare France routes from November until the spring, with no definite date for a return to work.
"Irish Ferries is running down the continental service even though it was used to build up the group", says Mr Brown.
A spokesman for Irish Ferries said the changes were due to increasing competition and changing holiday patterns. In the past it was possible to run the continental service in the loss making winter months because of substantial summer profits. This was no longer possible.
Many traditional customers were now opting for the air drive option or taking the ferry to Holyhead or Pembroke and using the Channel Tunnel to reach France. There was also increasing competition from the package holiday market.
He also pointed out that people were tending to take shorter, more frequent holidays and did not want to spend too much time travelling.