Seatruck adds Heysham freight capacity ahead of M6 Link opening

Irish Sea freight ferry specialist is to add capacity onto its busy Heysham Dublin daily service.

The service upgrade for the Heysham Dublin service comes at a key point in the history of Heysham Port, just a few weeks ahead of the opening of the M6 link, on October 31, which will connect junction 34 of the M6 directly to the Port, completely bypassing the current bottleneck in Lancaster.

Other benefits from having the larger 105 unit vessel include, greater trailer free height and a faster turnaround time in port. The ship also benefits from a ramp interface to the lower hold instead of a lift. Drivers will appreciate the single berth cabins and the comfortable lounge area.

The deployment of larger vessel will attract more traffic to the route. Seatruck Ferries specialises in the shipment of unaccompanied freight trailers which is more efficient for the operators and makes better use of their HGV drivers which continue to be in short supply. Historically HGV freight to Ireland has predominantly moved through Scotland or Wales on a driver accompanied basis but the market is now shifting significantly.

CEO of Seatruck Ferries, Alistair Eagles, said: "We have been planning for the opening of the M6 Link road for some time and it is absolutely no coincidence that we have chosen to upgrade our service offering from Heysham at this time. The Clipper Point was purpose built for Heysham by Seatruck in 2008 and we look forward to welcoming her home to help with our continued growth in the Port of Heysham. "Twenty years after the first Seatruck sailing we are just as hungry for growth, having just as much fun and still firmly believe that our business model is the correct one. This is just the next step in the Seatruck story."