MV W.B. Yeats
© Robbie Cox (Dublin, 14/03/2019)
Steel twin screw motor vessel built in 2018 by Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft mbH & Co. KG (FSG), Flensburg, Germany (Yard No 771) as a Roll on- Roll off/Passenger Ferry for the Irish Continental Group (Irish Ferries)
Technical Data
- Length: 194.8 m (overall) 186.5 m (between perpendiculars)
- Breadth: 32.134 m
- Depth: 10 m
- Draught: 6.715 m
- Tonnage: 51388 gross/26479 net/7859 deadweight
- Engines: 4 Caterpillar 8M43C diesels
- Power: 33600 kW/HP
- Speed: 22.5 knots
- Capacity: 1,800 passengers, 1,216 cars 0r 165 trucks (maximum)
- Crew: 85
- Call Sign: 5BXC4
- IMO Number: 9809679
- MMSI Number: 209146000
- GNV GL ID Number: 37031
- Port of Registry: Limassol/Cyprus 🇨🇾
Current AIS Location
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History
May 27th 2016: Contract date.
September 11th 2017: Keel laid by which time the expected delivery had slipped to July 2018.
Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft (FSG)
January 19th 2018: Hull launched, but problems during “Fitting Out” led to a delayed entry into service, firstly to July then September 2018. Superstructure was built at Marine Projects Inc, Gdansk.
© Fabian Vornholt (Flensburg, 19/01/2018)
Naming ceremony and hull launch © inselvideo (YouTube)
© Fabian Vornholt (Flensburg, 07/02/2018)
© Fabian Vornholt (Flensburg, 08/02/2018)
August 2018: Delays expected to last until October 2018.
© Gena Anfimov (Flensburg, August 2018)
October 17th 2018: Suspected sabotage of the vessel led to one of her four main engines overheating resulting in damage to the engine.
© Fabian Vornholt (Flensburg, 07/11/2018)
December 12th 2018: Completed.
October 29th 2018: Trials.
December 12th 2018: Completed and delivered to Irish Ferries Ltd, Dublin, Ireland.
December 15th 2018: Left Flensburg for Cherbourg.
December 18th 2018: Arrived in Cherbourg for berthing trials.
December 19th 2018: Arrived in Rosslare for berthing trials.
December 20th 2018: Arrived in Dublin.
Maiden arrival in Dublin 20/12/18 © Irish Ferries (YouTube)
January 22nd 2019: Maiden voyage Dublin – Holyhead.
© Robbie Cox
January 22nd 2019: Made contact with the berth whilst attempting to dock at Holyhead resulting in minor damage to the vessel and to the berth ramp.
© Gary Davies (Maritime Photographic)
Interior
© Gary Davies (Maritime Photographic)
February 26th 2019: Officially introduced into service between Dublin and Cherbourg.
March 2019: Services Dublin – Cherbourg.
Dublin, 22/04/2019 (left) and 26/06/2019 (right) © Robbie Cox
© Pieter Inpyn (Dublin, 10/09/2019)
October 12th 2019: Left Rosslare and sailed to Dunkerque.
© Julien Carpentier (Dunkerque, 14/10/2019)
October 18th 2019: Left Dunkerque for Cherbourg.
October 18th 2019: Arrived Cherbourg.
October 19th 2019: Service Cherbourg – Dublin.
February 2020: Services Holyhead – Dublin.
January 5th 2021: Switched from the Dublin – Holyhead route to the Dublin – Cherbourg route.
© Yann Ferries (Cherbourg, 08/08/2021)
© Dogan (Cherbourg for Dublin, 11/05/2021)
November 8th 2021: To Belfast for annual refit.
December 4th 2021: Left Belfast
December 4th 2021: Arrived Dublin.
December 4th 2021: Resumed Dublin – Cherbourg.
March 13th 2022: Left Dublin for Cherbourg. En-route encountered storm conditions with high seas. Suffered damage to her forward superstructure including loading door. Retuned to Dublin and discharged passengers before sailing to Belfast for repairs.
March 13th 2022: Arrived Belfast for temporary repairs.
© Stephen Brown (Belfast)
March 22nd 2022: Left Belfast for Dublin.
March 23rd 2922: Resumed service.
May 2nd 2022: Arrived Harland and Wolff, Belfast for permanent repairs to upper forward superstructure.
May 10th 2022: Resumed service Dublin – Cherbourg.
November 6th 2023: Came off service at Dublin and sailed to Harland & Wolff, Belfast. for maintenance.
November 7th 2023: Arrived Belfast.
© Trevor Kidd (Belfast, 07/11/2023)
© Stephen Brown (Belfast, 21/11/2023)
December 4th 2023: Left Belfast for Dublin.
December 4th 2023: Arrived Dublin.
December 5th 2023: Resumed service Dublin – Cherbourg, replacing relief vessel EPSILON.
January 4th 2024: Took up services Holyhead – Dublin as relief for ULYSSES.
© Luke Wilson (Holyhead, 16/01/2024)
© Luke Wilson
November 23rd 2024: Came off service at Dublin for repairs to her “storm damaged (Storm Bert)” bridge.
“After leaving the port of Dublin en route to Cherbourg, she was hit by a wave 11 nautical miles north of the Tuskar Rock lighthouse, while sailing at a speed of 12 knots. The bridge windows where smashed, resulting in her centre bridge controls and radars being damaged, forcing the ship to return to port on Nov 24, where it remained stationary as of Nov 27.”
December 3rd 2024: Resumed service Dublin – Cherbourg.
January 15th 2025: Arrived Holyhead for trials.
January 16th 2025: Took up services Holyhead – Dublin.
January 28th 2025: Services Dublin – Cherbourg.
All information is believed to be correct and no responsibility is accepted for any errors or omissions. All items included in this article are subject to © copyright. We would like to take this opportunity of thanking: inselvideo (YouTube), Irish Ferries, Gena Anfimov, Stephen Brown, Julien Carpentier, Robbie Cox, Dogan, Pieter Inpyn, Gary Davies (Maritime Photographic), Fabian Vornholt, Luke Wilson, Andreas Wörteler and Yann Ferries for their assistance in producing this feature.
Special thanks go to Trevor Kidd
Article © Nigel Thornton and Ray Goodfellow (Dover Ferry Photos Group)
