Seatruck Ferries is a UK-based freight-only
ferry company which commenced services in 1996. It is a subsidiary of CLdN. It operates out of four ports on the
Irish Sea
The Irish Sea or , gv, Y Keayn Yernagh, sco, Erse Sie, gd, Muir Èireann , Ulster-Scots: ''Airish Sea'', cy, Môr Iwerddon . is an extensive body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Ce ...
, including
Heysham
Heysham ( ) is a coastal town in Lancashire, England, overlooking Morecambe Bay. It is a ferry port, with services to the Isle of Man and Ireland, and the site of two nuclear power stations.
Demography
Administratively, Heysham is part of th ...
and
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
.
History
Seatruck was established in 1996, operating one ship, , between
Heysham
Heysham ( ) is a coastal town in Lancashire, England, overlooking Morecambe Bay. It is a ferry port, with services to the Isle of Man and Ireland, and the site of two nuclear power stations.
Demography
Administratively, Heysham is part of th ...
,
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...
, England and
Warrenpoint
Warrenpoint ( ga, An Pointe) is a small port town and civil parish in County Down, Northern Ireland. It sits at the head of Carlingford Lough, south of Newry, and is separated from the Republic of Ireland by a narrow strait. The town is beside ...
,
County Down,
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
. She was joined in April 1997 by sister ship , which was also operated on the Heysham to Warrenpoint service, a service which continues today as a two-ship service.
In 2002, the company was acquired by the
Clipper Group
Clipper Group is an international shipping company, founded in 1991 by Torben Gülnar Jensen, after a split of Armada Shipping A/S, which was founded in 1972 together with Jørgen Dannesboe.
Primary focus is on bulk, especially within the handys ...
. Also in 2002, ''European Mariner'' was chartered for two months, before moving on to Color Line.
In 2005, Seatruck Ferries ordered its first new ships, five "P Series" ro-ro freight ferries, however only four were built. These vessels were named ''Clipper Point'', ''Clipper Panorama'', ''Clipper Pace'' and ''Clipper Pennant''. All four vessels were built by Spanish shipyard Astilleros de Huelva.
Between late 2005 and late 2009, Seatruck acquired four sister ships, ''Challenge'' (), ''Triumph'' (), ''Shield'' () and . These are now deployed on charters to
Caledonian MacBrayne
Caledonian MacBrayne ( gd, Caledonian Mac a' Bhriuthainn), usually shortened to CalMac, is the major operator of passenger and vehicle ferries, and ferry services, between the mainland of Scotland and 22 of the major islands on Scotland's west ...
,
NorthLink Ferries
NorthLink Ferries (also referred to as Serco NorthLink Ferries) is an operator of passenger and vehicle ferries, as well as ferry services, between mainland Scotland and the Northern Isles of Orkney and Shetland. Since July 2012, it has been oper ...
and the
Isle of Man Steam Packet Company
An isle is an island, land surrounded by water. The term is very common in British English. However, there is no clear agreement on what makes an island an isle or its difference, so they are considered synonyms.
Isle may refer to:
Geography
* Is ...
respectively.
In 2007, Seatruck chartered the ''Celtic Star'', which was deployed on the Liverpool to Dublin route.
In January 2008, the company's pioneering ship, ''Riverdance'', ran aground in Blackpool. Seatruck chartered ''Phocine'' to cover ''Riverdance''s services until ''Clipper Point'' entered service. Attempts to refloat the vessel failed, and she was broken up in situ in the summer of 2008. In March 2008, ''Clipper Point'' became the company's first new ferry, entering service on the Heysham to Warrenpoint route. ''Panorama'' followed in January 2009, ''Pace'' in March 2009 and ''Pennant'' in October 2009.
In March 2008, the same month that ''Clipper Point'' entered service, Seatruck Ferries placed an order for four RoRo 2200 ferries to be built by
Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft
Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft is a German shipbuilding company located in Flensburg. The company trades as ''Flensburger'' and is commonly abbreviated ''FSG''.
History
''Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft'' was founded in 1872 by a group of ...
in Germany.
The first two of these vessels launched in late 2011, named ''Seatruck Progress'' and ''Seatruck Power'', whilst the third, ''Seatruck Performance'', launched in January 2012. The final ship of the class, ''Seatruck Precision'', launched in March 2012. ''Progress'' entered service in December 2011, ''Power'' joined the fleet in February 2012, ''Performance'' joined the fleet in April 2012 and lastly ''Precision'' will join the fleet before mid-2012.
In late 2011, one of the earlier "P Series" vessels, ''Clipper Panorama'', was renamed ''Seatruck Panorama'' whilst ''Clipper Pace'' was renamed ''Seatruck Pace'' in February 2012.
In 2015, Ole Frie stepped down as chairman of the board. Kristian Morch was appointed as Frie's replacement. Alistair Eagles was also appointed CEO of Seatruck.
In May 2015, ''Clipper Ranger'' finished her long-term charter with Caledonian MacBrayne. The ''Clipper Point'' also finished her charter with DFDS. She was then chartered to Inter Shipping (Spain) to operate on the company's Algeciras–Tanger Med II route.
In September 2022, the business was purchased by CLdN of Belgium with eight vessels.
[Ownership change for Seatruck Ferries '']Ships Monthly
Kelsey Media is a magazine publisher and trade fair company based in Yalding, England. Founded in 1989, it has bought and sold many publications over the years, including former Bauer Media Group magazines ''Sea Angler'', ''Car Mechanics'' and ' ...
'' November 2022 page 10
Routes
Seatruck currently operate three routes on the Irish Sea, serving four ports.
*
Heysham
Heysham ( ) is a coastal town in Lancashire, England, overlooking Morecambe Bay. It is a ferry port, with services to the Isle of Man and Ireland, and the site of two nuclear power stations.
Demography
Administratively, Heysham is part of th ...
–
Warrenpoint
Warrenpoint ( ga, An Pointe) is a small port town and civil parish in County Down, Northern Ireland. It sits at the head of Carlingford Lough, south of Newry, and is separated from the Republic of Ireland by a narrow strait. The town is beside ...
*
Heysham
Heysham ( ) is a coastal town in Lancashire, England, overlooking Morecambe Bay. It is a ferry port, with services to the Isle of Man and Ireland, and the site of two nuclear power stations.
Demography
Administratively, Heysham is part of th ...
–
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...
*
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
–
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...
Fleet
Current fleet
Seatruck currently have twelve vessels, six of which are in service for Seatruck. The other six are out on charter to various companies.
The newest vessel in the Seatruck fleet is , which entered service in June 2012.
Former fleet
These are vessels that have previously been operated or chartered by Seatruck.
References
External links
*
{{Seatruck Ships
2022 mergers and acquisitions
Shipping companies of the United Kingdom
Transport companies established in 1996
1996 establishments in England