Bigger, faster, better... Maersk Importer enters service on the Heysham – Belfast route

Heysham, October 21st 2009

Norfolkline Irish Sea are delighted to welcome the Maersk Importer and her crew to its Irish Sea route network with the vessel entering service on the Heysham - Belfast route.

On Monday October 19th, the Maersk Importer made her first voyage from Heysham, with Captain Sean Fitzgerald welcoming Richard Giles from STL logistics as the first driver to board the Maersk Importer for her sailing to Belfast.

The arrival of the vessel completes our plan to transfer three large ro-ro ferries from the North Sea to the Irish Sea and follows the successful introduction earlier this year of the Maersk Exporter and Maersk Anglia to the Heysham service.

Poul Woodall (Route Director, Irish Sea) commented:

"The arrival of the Maersk Importer reinforces the major commitment by Norfolkline to its Irish Sea route network, and specifically to our customers who have remained loyal to our Heysham service.

The vessel symmetry now in place gives us the opportunity to improve our schedule which includes additional Monday morning sailings. This provides increased capacity and choice for our customers. The excellent performance of both the Maersk Exporter and Maersk Anglia since their successful introduction to the Irish Sea has allowed us to strengthen our Heysham service.

Against a background of general market decline, we have seen volume growth through the Belfast Heysham route this year. I have no doubt that the arrival of Maersk Importer will provide more growth on this route and will further strengthen the Norfolkine services through Heysham."

The new modern vessels are bigger, better and faster than the vessels they replace, with the Maersk Importer having a capacity for 120 trailers and a service speed of 18 knots.

The vessels also offer customers the option of single en-suite cabins and meals cooked to order, and it is hoped this superior service will see a corresponding returns in customer numbers.