WB Yeats ferry accidents and incidents

13 June 2018Structural and Technical Issues

On June 13, 2018, due to additional shipyard construction delays, the initially announced departures were canceled and vessel's delivery was re-scheduled for September 2018.

Around 6000 ferry bookings were impacted by the delay.  Affected customers were offered alternative travel options with direct crossings on the fleetmate Oscar Wilde (now GNV-Allegra) or "land-bridge" crossings from either Dublin or Rosslare to the UK, then a second leg to France. Land-bridge rebooked customers were reimbursed for their vehicle fuel costs (UK arrival port to France arrival port). All booked customers were provided with the option to cancel the booking and receive a full immediate refund.

The new ship was initially scheduled for delivery to IRISH FERRIES on July 30, 2018 (entering service). However, in April 2018, IRISH FERRIES canceled the planned crossings due to construction delays.  Around 2500 bookings were impacted by the cancellation, but 95% of those bookings were transferred to the Oscar Wilde ferry.

For both cancellations, the company offered each affected customer GBP 150 voucher usable for any Ireland-France crossing by IRISH FERRIES in 2019. The company reported around 20,000 passengers affected by the cancellations (July 30 through September 17).