Technical problems with Irish Ferries’ flagship Ulysses in the early summer contributed to a slump in annual carryings.
Irish Ferries carried 365,400 cars in the year to November 24, a 7.2% drop on the previous year on the back of a 7.3% loss of sailings.
Car carryings decreased by 11.2% in the period since June 30 compared with the same period last year.
Parent company Irish Continental Group revealed a 1.3% decline in year-on-year revenues to €285.3 million in the first ten months of 2018.
In a trading update, the company said: “The revenue decrease is attributable to sailing disruptions and schedule changes in the ferries division offset by revenue growth in the container and terminal division.
“External charter revenues were also €4.9 million lower following the sale of the Kaitaki in May 2017 and Jonathan Swift in April of this year.”
The firm added: “Carryings in the period July to date compared to the prior year were adversely affected by significant disruptions to the schedules on the Dublin-Holyhead route due to technical difficulties affecting the flagship vessel Ulysses.
“While Irish Ferries adjusted its fleet allocations to reduce the effect of these disruptions there remained a significant reduction in capacity.”
The vessel Jonathan Swift was sold in April, generating a profit after tax of €13.7 million.
New ferry W B Yeats completed its sea-trials in early November and is undergoing final delivery adjustments.
The ship is to be ready for delivery during early December following a delay.
The hold up was described as an “extraordinary event totally outside the control” of the German Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesselschaft shipyard.
The yard is contracted to deliver a second new vessel during 2020.