'Extraordinary reasons' for port disruption affecting rugby fans' return ferries

Ferries between Dublin and Holyhead have been cancelled or delayed for "extraordinary reasons", affecting Welsh rugby fans returning following Wales' Six Nations defeat to Ireland.

Stena Line apologised and blamed Sunday's disruption on "technical" problems with a vessel in Holyhead, Anglesey.

Irish Ferries said its Ulysses sailing on Sunday had been unable to berth at Holyhead at 11:00 GMT due to "extraordinary reasons", but did not elaborate, with later sailings also affected.

Stena Line said a ferry on Monday at 10:15 GMT from Dublin was now going to Holyhead and would not now need to be diverted to Liverpool.

Passengers have been advised to check before travelling.

Chris Edwards, from Llandogo near Monmouth, was on board another Stena ferry on Sunday evening, which was unable to dock in Holyhead and had to be diverted.

"Six of us went over to Ireland to watch the rugby, we got on the ferry in Dublin in glorious sunshine - but 20 minutes before our arrival in Holyhead, there was an announcement that there was a technical problem with another ferry that was still in the port," he said.

They were initially told they would have to wait for two hour, then four, and finally were updated that the wait would be for an indefinite amount of time.

"Foot passengers started worrying about rail connections, and loved ones coming to pick them up," he said.

"We ended up circling around the coast off Holyhead for roughly two hours before the captain announced that we were now sailing on to Birkenhead.

"While we were waiting to be unloaded, one of the staff said that the issue with the other boat was a 'mass hydraulic failure," Edwards said.

In the latest update on Monday, Stena Line said: "Stena Line ferry, Stena Adventurer, has a technical issue which our team is working to resolve.

"The Stena Estrid is operating as normal on the Dublin – Holyhead route.

"Stena Line apologises for any inconvenience caused. Our team is contacting affected customers directly with updates, changes, and alternative travel options."

A scheduled sailing for the Stena Adventurer at 10:00 on Monday was also cancelled, along with a 04:00 sailing by the Stena Estrid.

Stena Lines said passengers on the cancelled 10:00 sailing could transfer to the Irish Ferries service, with an estimated sailing time of around 11:00.

This transfer was not available for those with cabins and lounges, the company said.

The scheduled sailing of the Stena Adventurer from Dublin to Holyhead at 16:30 on Monday has also been cancelled due to the technical issues.

The UK's second busiest passenger port reopened fully in July 2025 after repairs were completed following damage to two berths caused by Storm Darragh - that battered the country in December 2024.

It was closed for five weeks, including at Christmas and new year, as engineers fixed one of the damaged berths, partially reopened in January 2025 with services resumed to a revised timetable.

The other berth took seven months to repair, with the economic impact of the closures an estimated £500m in lost trade.

Nearly 1.5m people pass through Holyhead every year making it the most popular sea route between the UK mainland and the Republic of Ireland.

At just over 100 miles (161km) between Holyhead and Dublin, the three-hour and 15-minute crossing from north Wales is the quickest route between the UK mainland and the Republic of Ireland.

With more than 210,000 lorries and around 383,000 cars using it every year, Holyhead is the second busiest passenger ferry port to Dover.

It is Wales' biggest international transport hub with almost double the amount of annual passengers of Wales' only major airport in Cardiff.