WHEN is a ship not a ship? When you think it's an aeroplane. "The Concorde of the sea" is how Stena Line is selling its new Dun Laoghaire Holyhead high speed superferry (HSS), which was "unveiled" in a Finnish shipyard yesterday.
Powered by four jet engines and fitted with an "aircraft cockpit bridge", the £65 million superferry has a speed of 40 knots.
Six months after it was due to be introduced, the ferry will "fly" into Dun Laoghaire within weeks, whipping passengers across to Holyhead in a mere 99 minutes.
A shortage of aluminium welders is blamed for the delay although it is understood evacuation trials also took longer than scheduled. However, the delay allows Stena Line to sell the gigantic catamaran to Irish Sea ferry passengers in better weather.
Stena Line even claims to have banished seasickness. The tendency for passengers to lose their dinners on catamarans in windy conditions has led to nicknames like the "vomit comet". Stena Line's solution lies in the hull shape which eliminates "heave and pitch", according to the company.
The 126 metre long and 40 metre wide catamaran - as big as a soccer pitch - is the first such fast ferry to cater for coaches, lorries and cars. It will be able to take 375 cars or 120 cars and 50 lorries, and up to 1,500 passengers.
Concern about the ship's cargo on a congested Dun Laoghaire has abated since Stena Line switched its freight operations to Dublin Port last November.
The ship is more stable than the conventional ferry, the company claims. Even if the bottoms of both hulls are ripped open and fill with water, the car deck will remain two metres above the sea surface. The ship's marine evacuation system can have everyone off in 18 minutes, says Stena Line.
A key concern is the risk of collision on a competitive route and the fire risk on an aluminium ship filled with fuel. The company insists the ferry is fitted with a rapid and effective fire response.
Such is its confidence in the design that it has ordered five vessels, the second of which will be introduced on the Belfast Stranraer route in June.
The "flying" analogy extends to boarding, and once again there is a bit of psychology involved. The £20 million harbour development, funded by the Government and the EU for Stena Line, includes a terminal which resembles an airport.
