The travel disruptions caused by the recent big freeze, which blanketed much of the British Isles in heavy snow and ice, have resulted in a surge of passengers for Stena Line. According to the ferry operator, an additional 5,000 passengers were absorbed on its Belfast to Stranraer route in the several days leading to Christmas. Stena Line also announced that it would likely carry around 105,000 passengers between December 20th and January 5th on all of its Irish Sea routes, with Belfast to Stranraer proving the most busy, with 47,000 passengers.

A spokesperson for Stena Line said: “We have carried [an] additional 5,000 foot passengers on our Belfast to Stranraer route over the past number of days due to the ongoing flight cancellations and last minute bookings. All our Ireland ferry and UK sailings are operating as scheduled and we have brought in extra staff to help accommodate the uplift in customers at this time. We have also organised additional coaches.”

The spokesperson also advised: “Sailings are continuing to book up fast, especially the UK ferries, but we still have availability on most sailings, so our message to people needing to make travel arrangements, is not to leave it until the last minute.”

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