High-speed Sea Service is the name of a class of high-speed craft developed by and originally operated by Stena Line on European international ferry routes. The HSS 1500 have an in-service speed of 40 knots (75 km/h).
Several patents were registered to Stena Line in the development of the HSS, and four vessels were ultimately completed during the late 1990s; Stena Explorer, Stena Voyager and Stena Discovery were built to operate around the British Isles with Stena Carisma built for Scandinavian use. The newest of the craft was re-named HSS Discovery after being sold to a ferry company in Venezuela during 2009.
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Three larger vessels were purchased, each capable of transporting up to 1,500 passengers at a time:
Capacity | 1520 passengers + 375 cars, or 120 cars + 50 freight units (900 lane metres) |
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Gross Register Tonnage | 19,638 tonnes |
Length | 126.6 m (411.45 ft) |
Beam | 40.0 m (130 ft) |
Height | 27.5 m |
Draught | 4.8 m (15.6 ft) |
Machinery | 68 MW (twin COGAG configuration of 2 × GE LM2500 + 2 × GE LM1600 gas turbines), 4 × KaMeWa (now Rolls-Royce) type S waterjets for propulsion |
Speed | 40 knots (service speed), 51 knots (unladen record) |
Hull | Aluminium (the hull design is a Stena patent combining lightweight flexibility for maximum strength and efficiency). |
Generator | 3440 kW electrical generation (4 × Cummins KTA38G3(M)/KV12)[2] |
Builder | Finnyards, Rauma, Finland, cost £65m |
Originally two HSS 900 vessels were ordered, the second one was scrapped - whilst being only partially (30%) complete - following bankruptcy of the shipyard. Leaving only one that entered service:
Capacity | 900 passengers + 208 cars, or 151 cars + 10 coaches |
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Displacement | 8,631 tonnes |
Length | 89.75 m |
Beam | 30.47 m |
Draught | 3.9 m draft |
Machinery | 33,500 kW (2 × ABB–STAL GT35)( Siemens SGT 500)
Fuel Heavy oil fuel IF-100 |
Speed | 40 knots (service speed), |
Generator | 2,080 kW electrical generation (4 × MTU 12V 183 TE52) |
Builder | Westamarin, Norway |
Since the start of 2007, two identical 1500 passenger versions remain in operation on routes across the Irish Sea, whilst a smaller, 900 passenger version operates a route across the Kattegat:
Up until November 2008, Stena Explorer had been making two return trips to Dublin per day, at a faster advertised speed of 99 minutes. Up until 2006, this had been three return services per day.[4]
Stena Discovery was taken off the Hoek van Holland–Harwich route on 8 January 2007, with her final in-service trip being the 10:40 ex-Harwich, returning to her home port of Hoek van Holland.
Taking a route via Dover and the Isle of Wight she arrived in Belfast, Northern Ireland on 24 January 2007 "to join her sisters on the Irish Sea", pending use as spare parts or possible sale. Any future use was still undecided, with Pim De Lange, Stena Line's director of North Sea operations quoted as stating that Stena Discovery has been returned to the care of Stena Ro Ro - the Swedish - based organisation's chartering arm - but that it is unlikely any other north - west European company would want to operate her.[5]
The HSS service was replaced with twice daily—one day, one night—sailings on a pair of traditional super ferries. The Stena Hollandica and Stena Britannica vessels now accept foot - passengers and were each stretched to 240 metres in length at the Lloyd Werft shipyard in Germany in the spring of 2007. In addition to passenger traffic, the HSS service is believed to have been carrying around 25,000 units of freight per year - about 15% of the 165,000 units that Stena Line transport across the North Sea annually.
The reasons cited for the replacement by conventional ferries were decreasing passenger patronage, coupled with escalating fuel costs.[6] A report in International Freighting Weekly following the withdrawal stated that Stena Discovery operation on the North Sea route was using more fuel than Stena's seven other conventional ferries on the North Sea put together. Fuel costs for the HSS were noted in the article to have risen 40% from 2004–2005 and again by another 15% in 2005 - 2006, something that was "unsustainable".[5]
In 2009, the Stena Discovery was sold to the new Venezuelan company Albamar. Renamed to HSS Discovery, the ship was purchased to operate a route between the ports of La Guaira, Estado Vargas and El Guamache, Estado Nueva Esparta (Margarita Island). The operation is economical because Venezuela is an oil producing country so fuel costs are less of a problem. Stena Discovery was managed by Stena Northern Marine Management, who dry docked her in April 2009 for maintenance before sale to the Venezuelan company.
On 29 September 2009 Stena Discovery finally left Belfast. Stopping off at Holyhead in North Wales to use the Stena Explorer's linkspan. This was to bring bunker fuel onboard, she then finally left for South America on 1 October 2009.[7]
On 20 September 2001, Stena Explorer suffered a generator fire in one of her pontoons. Whilst reversing to dock at her berth in Holyhead, a fire was detected in her auxiliary (generator) engine room in the port pontoon. Shortly after, the CCTV system normally used for visual docking cut-off. Knowing that just-completed checks showed that fire doors (lasting at least one hour) were closed, permission to shut off the engine in question was (correctly) denied by the Master of the Ship until final approach line up with the Linkspan was confirmed. At this point the failing Cummins generator was shut-off.
In lieu of the CCTV system, docking distances were relayed to the bridge by portable radio. Berthing was complete within 5 minutes of the original fire alarm and fresh water was taken on board to replenish the Hi-fog fire suppression system whilst all 551 passengers were safely off-loaded. The fire brigade attended and the Hi-fog water mist was deactivated at their request. A nine-month Marine Accident Investigation Branch investigation found the fault to be incorrect fitting of a compression-fitting used for a high-pressure fuel line leading to fuel spraying and igniting upon contact with the hot turbo-charger unit.[17]