Irish Continental Group plc, , trading as Irish Ferries, is a quoted Irish Ferry operator. The company operates on the Dublin Port (North Wall) - Holyhead route, and from Rosslare Europort to Roscoff, Cherbourg, and Pembroke.

The company's flagship, the Ulysses, is the world's largest car ferry in terms of car-carrying capacity. Other ships in the fleet include the Isle of Inishmore, Oscar Wilde and the fast ferry Jonathan Swift (aka Dublin Swift). Irish Continental's chief executive is Eamonn Rothwell. Its shares are traded on the Irish Stock Exchange and the London Stock Exchange.

The company also charters out two vessels, Pride of Bilbao and Kaitaki to P&O Ferries and Interisland Line, respectively.

History

The company was formed in 1973 as a joint venture between Irish Shipping, Fearnley & Eger and Swedish company Lion Ferry. Originally called Irish Continental Line, it first operated between Rosslare and Le Havre with the St. Patrick. When Irish Shipping went into liquidation in 1984, ICL was sold off in a management buyout and took on its current name.

In 1992, Irish Ferries took over the British and Irish Steampacket Company Limited, a nationalised company which traded under the name B & I Line and operated ferry services between Dublin and Holyhead as well as Liverpool and Dublin.

New vessel for French service

Irish Ferries took delivery of the 1989-built MS Kronprins Harald from the Norwegian shipping company Color Line in September 2007. The ship was renamed MS Oscar Wilde and is currently in operation between Rosslare Europort - Cherbourg and Roscoff. She entered service in December 2007 on the Dublin - Holyhead line, then the Rosslare - Pembroke Dock and finally to her selected route, Rosslare - Cherbourg and 'Rosslare-Roscoff (alternate voyages during Summer Months). Instead of receiving the traditional white hull of Irish Ferries, the ship maintained the blue hull of Color Line.^[1]

Controversy

On the 23 February 2004, Irish Ferries announced that the firm could close over a dispute about a cost-cutting plan if it was not resolved soon. Director of Human Resources Alf McGrath announced the lay-off of 600 staff in the following few days. Also announced was the suspension of the swift ferry from Dublin to Holyhead, the Rosslare-Pembroke service, and the Rosslare route to Cherbourg and Roscoff.

On the 24 March 2005 it became known that, according to SIPTU, Irish Ferries was paying a Filipina woman just over ?1 an hour to work as a beauty therapist on board the Isle of Inishmore. Salvacion Orge had just begun working as a beauty therapist on the ferry, but the company ended her contract by closing down the service following queries about the wages she was being paid. She refused to disembark from the vessel. A meeting took place on the 29 March 2005 and after two hours of negotiation between her management and the trade union SIPTU, Ms. Orge was granted ?24,000. The crew on board the ferry also made a collection for her totalling around ?1,000. The next day she flew from Dublin to the Philippines and was reunited with her three teenage children.

On the 19 September Irish Ferries offered voluntary redundancy packages to its 543 seafaring workers on its Irish Sea services on the Dublin-Holyhead and Rosslare-Pembroke routes. The firm states they couldn't continue to operate with high fuel costs and increasing competition from rival shipping operators and low-cost airlines. The statement went on to say the situation had deteriorated this year with a 9% drop in the Irish Sea car passenger market and rises of up to 50% in the cost of fuel (even though their main competitors, Stena Line, announced an increase in profits in the same year). These voluntary redundancy packages were offered as a direct result of unsuccessfully negotiating with SIPTU and the Seaman's Union of Ireland to achieve cost reductions. The decision by Irish Ferries to outsource crewing on its Rosslare to France routes earlier this year led to a strike and demonstrations in France.

In late November 2005, the crew of two Irish Ferries vessels were abruptly fired in mid-voyage and replacement workers installed. This led to a standoff between the management and the crew and an intense political debate in Ireland.

On the 9th December 2005 a nationwide day of protest was called by the Irish Council of Trade Unions against the company's actions. Over 100,000 people participated, including 40,000 in Dublin. The protest stopped all public transport for over four hours.

During the January 2006 refit, the M/V Ulysses appears to have been re-flagged and now flies the Cypriot flag, registered in Limassol.

In December 2006, two Irish Ferries workers created an online forum for the benefit of their fellow co-workers.

Three days into the forum being opened, they were threatened with the sack if they continued using the site, whether in work or not. Irish Ferries argued that such a site could be potentially harmful to the image of the company. The two staff decided to take down the site, but a month later, both were given a verbal warning - even though the site & all posts were done outside company time. The Union (T&G) got involved, but were unable to help as they felt a verbal warning did not warrant bringing it to the attention of a tribunal.

Fleet

Ships under charter to other companies

Former ships

References

1. ↑ Fakta om Fartyg: M/S OSCAR WILDE i Fredericia 10/10-2007, retrieved 12. 10. 2007

External links

• Irish Ferries- Online Tickets Sales & Reservations
• Irish Continental Group (corporate)
• Irish Ferries (consumer)
• (Irish ferries enthusiasts site)

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