THE Stena Line's new £65 million high speed ferry, the Stena Explorer, has missed yet another deadline for its maiden voyage across the Irish Sea.
The Explorer, which can complete the 55 mile crossing between Holyhead and Dun Laoghaire in 99 minutes, left Holyhead on schedule at 1.45 p.m. yesterday, but without passengers.
A spokesman for the company said there had been some last minute problems with the satellite docking system at Dun Laoghaire. As the vessel approaches the harbour, a satellite beam from ship to shore guides it to its mooring place, the spokesman explained. The Norwegian manufacturers of the system, Kvaerner, worked on it yesterday afternoon.
"I am now told the first sailing will be tomorrow morning at 6.40 a.m.," the spokesman said.
The Explorer has missed at least four deadlines for its introduction on the Irish Sea.
It should have come into service last year but it was delayed because the Finnish shipyard building it under estimated the number of welders it would need. A new deadline of March 1st was set, but this was missed because of a particularly harsh winter in Finland.
The next deadline of March 30th was missed because the Marine Safety Agency the international regulatory body ordered checks on one of four emergency escape chutes which take passengers directly into lifeboats. The agency granted a full operational licence yesterday.
Passengers who were booked on yesterday's sailing of the Explorer were accommodated on the Sea Lynx, a smaller catamaran, and two conventional ferries.
Stena will have to refund the difference to passengers who paid the premium for the high speed crossing on the Explorer. A return crossing for five people and a car in the off peak period starts from £198, excluding tax.
The Explorer, with a capacity of 1,500 passengers and 375 cars, is scheduled to make four crossings daily in both directions.