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#cruiseliners – The Wind Surf – the largest ship in the Windstar Cruises fleet – will dock at Dun Laoghaire Harbour tomorrow, Thursday, 4th September at 8am.

As previously reported, her arrival marks the final cruise call of the season for Dun Laoghaire after a hugely successful series of cruise dockings at the harbour this spring / summer.

The Wind Surf, one part sailing yacht and one part upscale cruise ship, has seven triangular, self-furling, computer operated sails, making a stunning ship. The ship, known for its luxurious amenities and unique ports of call, carries 312 guests and 191 international staff.

The cruise ship's docking at the harbour coincides with Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company's recent announcement that 2015 will be the most successful year ever for Dun Laoghaire in terms of attracting cruise passengers to the harbour. A total of 23 cruise vessels have already been confirmed to visit Dun Laoghaire in 2015. The size of these ships is such that they will bring a record 66,867 passengers.

Speaking ahead of tomorrow's docking of the Windsurf, Gerry Dunne, CEO of Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company, said: "Since 2012, due to the attractiveness of Dun Laoghaire and its wonderful harbour, the number of cruise bookings has grown exponentially and 2015 will be the most successful year ever for Dun Laoghaire in terms of attracting cruise passengers to the harbour.

"We welcome cruise ships of all shapes and sizes and are delighted that the Windsurf will be docking at Dun Laoghaire Harbour. Cruise passengers provide a valuable source of business for retail outlets and restaurants, which will deliver a huge economic boost for the town and its hinterland," he added.

About Brittany Ferries

In 1967 a farmer from Finistère in Brittany, Alexis Gourvennec, succeeded in bringing together a variety of organisations from the region to embark on an ambitious project: the aim was to open up the region, to improve its infrastructure and to enrich its people by turning to traditional partners such as Ireland and the UK. In 1972 BAI (Brittany-England-Ireland) was born.

The first cross-Channel link was inaugurated in January 1973, when a converted Israeli tank-carrier called Kerisnel left the port of Roscoff for Plymouth carrying trucks loaded with Breton vegetables such as cauliflowers and artichokes. The story, therefore, begins on 2 January 1973, 24 hours after Great Britain's entry into the Common Market (EEC).

From these humble beginnings however, Brittany Ferries as the company was re-named quickly opened up to passenger transport, then became a tour operator.

Today, Brittany Ferries has established itself as the national leader in French maritime transport: an atypical leader, under private ownership, still owned by a Breton agricultural cooperative.

Eighty five percent of the company’s passengers are British.

Key Brittany Ferries figures:

  • Turnover: €202.4 million (compared with €469m in 2019)
  • Investment in three new ships, Galicia plus two new vessels powered by cleaner LNG (liquefied natural gas) arriving in 2022 and 2023
  • Employment: 2,474 seafarers and shore staff (average high/low season)
  • Passengers: 752,102 in 2020 (compared with 2,498,354 in 2019)
  • Freight: 160,377 in 2020 (compared with 201,554 in 2019)
  • Twelve ships operating services that connect France, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Spain (non-Covid year) across 14 routes
  • Twelve ports in total: Bilbao, Santander, Portsmouth, Poole, Plymouth, Cork, Rosslare, Caen, Cherbourg, Le Havre, Saint-Malo, Roscoff
  • Tourism in Europe: 231,000 unique visitors, staying 2.6 million bed-nights in France in 2020 (compared with 857,000 unique visitors, staying 8,7 million bed-nights in 2019).