Disruption to the vessel Ulysses

Irish Continental Group Plc (ICG) 

Disruption to the vessel Ulysses

ICG announces that the Ulysses, operated by ICG’s subsidiary Irish Ferries on the Dublin / Holyhead route, reported technical difficulties with its Starboard Controllable Pitch Propeller on the 24^th June.  The vessel entered drydock in Belfast on the 28^th June. The investigation and repairs to the vessel were expected to take no longer than 5 days allowing her to resume service on the 4^th July. We have now been informed by service engineers that the issue is more serious than originally anticipated and they expect the vessel will be out of service for a further period of 1 to 2 weeks.

In advance of her return to service, we will adjust the schedules of our other vessels to minimise the disruption to our customers as much as possible. The Dublin / Holyhead route will operate with the Epsilon on the Ulysses schedule alongside the Dublin Swift which will operate additional evening sailings.

Irish Ferries would like to apologise to all our passenger and freight customers for this technical disruption. Despite our best efforts we can find no replacement tonnage in what is now the peak tourism season. It is the first major disruption on the Ulysses since her deployment on the Dublin Holyhead service in 2001.

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Enquiries:

Irish Continental Group plc

Eamonn Rothwell, CEO: [phone]

David Ledwidge, CFO: [phone]

For media enquiries: Gerry O’Sullivan Q4 Communications [phone]