MV Portlink
ex Stena Caledonia, St David
© Alan Geddes
Steel twin screw motor vessel, built by Harland & Wolff, Belfast (Yard No. 1717), for Sealink U.K. in 1981 as a passenger and roll-on roll-off car and commercial vehicle ferry
Technical Data
- Length on Deck: 129.65 m (overall), 120.70 m (between perpendiculars)
- Breadth of Hull: 21.02 m (moulded)
- Depth to ‘B’ Deck: 13.20 m
- Draught: 4.84 m (scanting), 4.65 m (service)
- Tonnage: 7,197 gross (1980), 12,619, 3,386 net (1981), 1,829 deadweight
- Engines: Two Crossley-Pielstick medium speed 16PC2-5V diesels.
- Power: 15,300 kW
- Speed: 19.5 knots (service)
- Capacity: 1,154 passengers, 309 cars, 62 x 12 m freight vehicles.
- Call Sign: GBZY, POQZ
- IMO Number: 7910917
- Official Number: 391130
- MMSI Number: 525016714
- Registry: London/United Kingdom 🇬🇧, Stranraer/United Kingdom 🇬🇧, Jakarta/Indonesia 🇮🇩
- Sister Ships: St Anselm (1715) Galloway Princess (1713) St Christopher (1716)
Current AIS Location
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History
The fourth of a series of four similar “Saint Class” ships to be produced by the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast. The ST ANSELM and her twin sister ST CHRISTOPHER were Sealink’s response to the freight challenge and passenger demands of the 1980s. The other pair, the GALLOWAY PRINCESS and ST DAVID was originally delivered for Irish Sea operations
September 25th 1980: Launched.
Courtesy of Jim Ashby
July 24th 1981: The St David was delivered to British Railways Board, London, England. Differed from her sisters in that she was fitted with a stern bridge for docking at Holyhead.
Dover Ferry Photos Library
Courtesy of Jim Ashby
© Brian Fisher
August 5th 1981: Arrived at Holyhead.
August 10th 1981: Commenced service between Holyhead – Dun Laoghaire.
© Ken Larwood
March 8th 1982: Upon arriving at Dun-Laoghaire found her way blocked by the B & I vessel MUNSTER, which had sailed light with a full crew from Dublin without management permission, The ST DAVID was forced to return to Holyhead and tried again the next morning, only to find the MUNSTER in position again. Finally the crew of the MUNSTER allowed her into the port as there was a sick passenger on board. Sealink then announced a suspension of the services pending further talks with B & I and also agreed to attempt no more Holyhead sailings until the matter was resolved.
March 1982: During the suspension of services sent for refit and alterations to her passenger accommodation, to increase capacity.
March 31st 1983 – June 1983: Operated between Dover – Calais, covering refits of ST ANSELM and ST CHRISTOPHER.
Courtesy of Jim Ashby
Dover Ferry Photos Library (07/05/1983)
© Ken Larwood
Courtesy of Jim Ashby
December 1983: Operated between Stranraer – Larne to cover refits of the vessels at the port and also to cover for the fire damaged ANTRIM PRINCESS until December 28th.
March 8th 1984: Operated for three weeks between Harwich – Hoek van Holland.
Nicolas Lévy Collection
July 18th 1984: Sale of Sealink U.K. to Sea Containers Ltd, Bermuda. Company changed name to Sealink British Ferries U.K.
Sealink Heritage (“departs from Dun Laoghaire for Holyhead for the last time in its British Rail / Sealink UK Ltd, corporate identity at the end of the summer season of 1984”.)
1984: In readiness for privatisation, on their re-appearance from overhaul, units of the Sealink UK Ltd fleet all appeared without the B.R. double arrow logo on their funnels. The vessels gradually appeared with white hulls. From that time the company would trade as Sealink British Ferries and a subsidiary company British Ferries was set up for Channel Island operations.
🆕 © Chris Thorne (Holyhead during livery change, 1984)
March 21st 1985: Commenced service between Dover – Ostend.
© Ken Larwood (Left) © Mark Willis (Dover, 1985) (Right)
© Fotoflite
© Urbain Ureel (15/09/1985 at Ostend)(Left) © John Hendy (Dover, June 1985)
September 28th 1985: Operated for the weekend between Dover – Boulogne.
Roy Thornton Collection
October 25th 1985: The Belgian Government announced that as from January 1st 1986, RMT would cease operational partnership with Sealink UK, and would in future deal with Townsend Thoresen. It was also made known that as from the end of 1985, the ST DAVID would no longer be welcome in Ostend.
© Fotoflite
December 31st 1985: Final sailing between Dover – Ostend.
January 1986: After overhaul at North Shields commenced service between Stranraer – Larne.
April 14th 1986 – May 20th 1986: Operated between Holyhead – Dun Laoghaire as relief for the ST COLUMBA.
© Ken Larwood
May 1986: Commenced service between Stranraer – Larne.
© Brian Fisher
February – March 12th 1987: Again relieved the ST COLUMBA during her overhaul.
February 14th 1988 – April 1st 1988: Refit at Bremerhaven
April 1988: Completed Holyhead – Dun Laoghaire.
February 25th 1989 – March 26th 1989: Refit at Lloyd Werft Bremerhaven.
January 1990: Sold to Stena Line, Ab, Göteborg. (Registered to Stena Equipment Ltd. London) Commenced service for Sealink Stena Line.
March 21st 1990: Refit at Swansea new cafe/bar fitted and children’s play area installed. This completed a 3 year / £6 million upgrade to the Stranraer based fleet.
February 2nd 1991: Harland & Wolff for refit.
February 21st 1991: Renamed STENA CALEDONIA
Nigel Thornton Collection
1991: Stena full takeover of Sealink U.K. Ltd for a sum believed to be in the region of £259 million. The fleets livery was changed to reflect the fact.
February 15th – February 26th 1992: Refit at Harland & Wolff.
© Aubrey Dale
Nigel Thornton Collection
1993: The fleets livery was changed to reflect the fact, becoming Stena Sealink Line
February 11th 1993 – February 22nd 1993: Stena Sealink Line logos painted on while at H&W for overhaul
© Andreas Wörteler
October 27th 1995: To Birkenhead for overhaul last time on Larne – Stranraer route.
© Bernd Crause
November 12th 1995: Returned from overhaul took the first sailing of the new Belfast – Stranraer route in full Stena line livery
December 31st, 1995 (midnight): Stena Stena Line ceased as a company name and all ships in the fleet adopted the trading name of Stena Line. The fleet was painted in the Scandinavian livery.
Dover Ferry Photos Library
© Aubrey Dale
January 7th 1997 – January 18th 1997: Refit at Swansea funnel extensions fitted
© Nigel Thornton
July 13th 1998: Chartered for one trip between Cork – Roscoff for the Tour De France cycle race.
February 23rd 2000 – March 25th 2000: Rebuilt at Cammell Laird, Birkenhead with stern sponsons. Bow rudder removed and replaced with a bulbous bow. Other SOLAS structural modifications carried out including flood control barriers on the main freight deck.
January 2001: At Swansea for refit “middle two weeks of Jan” received a Fast Rescue Craft (FRC) in place of life rafts on the port side
April 19th 2005: Arrived in Birkenhead for dry docking and re-fit at A&P.
May 16th 2005 – June 12th 2005: Operated Fishguard – Rosslare.
© Nigel Thornton
June 13th 2005: Stranraer – Larne.
June 2nd 2007 – June 4th 2007: Chartered to the Isle Of Man Steam Packet Company to operate between Douglas – Heysham & Douglas – Belfast during the Isle of Man TT races.
© Trevor Kidd
June 2007: Belfast – Stranraer.
June 9th 2007 – June 11th 2007: Chartered to the Isle Of Man Steam Packet Company to operate between Douglas – Heysham & Douglas – Belfast during the Isle of Man TT races.
© Trevor Kidd
2008: Remained in service on the Belfast – Stranraer route.
31st May – 4th June 2008: Chartered to the Isle Of Man Steam Packet Company to operate between Douglas – Heysham & Douglas – Belfast during the Isle of Man TT races.
© Nigel Thornton
27th January 2009 – 12th February 2009 : £0.8 million refit at Cammell Lairds, Birkenhead to improve her passenger accommodation.
© Ian Collard
13th February 2009: Re-entered service from Stranraer to Belfast.
7th June – 9th June 2009: Chartered to the Isle Of Man Steam Packet Company to operate between Douglas – Heysham & Douglas – Belfast during the Isle of Man TT races.
20th November 2011: Last day in service between Stranraer and Belfast.
21st November 2011: Laid up in the Port of Belfast.
© Scott Mackey
27th May 2012: Sea trials for a potential new owner.
31st May 2012: Sold to ASDP Ferry, Indonesia.
June 2012: Renamed PORTLINK and re-registered in Jakarta, Indonesia.
© Scott Mackey
July 3rd 2012: Departed Belfast for Indonesia.
Departing Belfast for the last time © Scott Mackey (Left) and © Alan Geddes (Right)
© Mikael Soderholm (Anchored off Port Said, Egypt July 2012)
October 11th 2012: Arrived in Jakarta.
© Liputan6.com
2015: Sailing between Jakarta – Merak (Indonesia)
© Ryo (ryo95id) (Bakauheni Ferry Port 30/05/2015)
March 2019: Entered Pt Samudra Marine, Banten, Indonesia for total refurbishment including superstructure addition and work on bulbous bow
© KMP Portlink (KMP Portlink)
© KMP Portlink (KMP Portlink)(2021)
All information is believed to be correct and no responsibility is accepted for errors and omissions. We would like to thank: Micke Asklander, Bernd Crause, Aubrey Dale, Brian Fisher, Alan Geddes, John Hendy, Ken Larwood, Nicolas Lévy, Scott Mackey, Ryo (ryo95id), Sealink Heritage, Mikael Soderholm, Chris Thorne, Urbain Ureel and Andreas Wörteler for their assistance in producing this feature.
Special thanks go to Jim Ashby and Trevor Kidd
I was Master of the Stena Caledonia from 1995 to 2001 and was in command for the inauguration of the Belfast to Stranraer service, a event that happened without fanfare or ceremony, simply another Irish Sea crossing !
Incidentally she was also fitted with a bow rudder for berthing in Holyhead, a very useful difference from her three sisters, but this was replaced by Cammel Laird with a bulbous bow. It was thought this would assist fuel economy and speed but actually made very little difference.
Very nostalgic to see so many excellent pictures I have never seen before.
Captain Iain C. McLean