Stena Caledonia
Upon the sale of Sealink British Ferries to Stena Line in 1991 the St David was renamed Stena Caledonia and as if to emphasise she was now a Scottish ship her port of registry changed from London to Stranraer.
On 13 July 1998 she operated a sailing between Rosslare and Roscoff as one of three Stena ships chartered to assist with the movement of equipment following the Irish leg of the Tour de France cycle race.
In May 2005 the Stena Caledonia found herself operating on the route for which she was originally laid down, Fishguard - Rosslare. She remained there until 12th June, covering for the Stena Europe which was away on refit.
June 2007 saw the ship sailing Belfast-Douglas-Heysham providing extra services on charter to the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company during the Manx TT race period.
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Stena Line invested £1.8 million on revamping the Stena Caledonia in February 2009, the major makeover taking place at the Cammell Laird yard in Birkenhead. New features included a luxury Stena Plus lounge, a Barista coffee house/bar, a Curious George themed play area for children and a new guest services desk. Another new feature on the ship is free Wi-Fi for passengers using their own laptop or PDA. The technology is supplied by satellite broadband to ensure uninterrupted coverage throughout the crossing. When passengers board they simply ask for a Wi-Fi access card at guest services and then they can go online to work or play.
As part of the revamp, the restaurant on the vessel was refurbished and rebranded as Food City, while the décor and seating was upgraded with extra seating added to the ship's cinema. The onboard shop was also spruced up and much needed improvements to disabled/lift access from the car deck were also made.
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As Stena Line developed a new strategy on their Stranraer service, including the construction of a new terminal in Loch Ryan, the company purchased the Calais vessel SeaFrance Manet to partner the Stena Caledonia. The arrival of the smartly refitted Stena Navigator alongside the former St David brought a new emphasis back to conventional ship operation on the service. Completely changing the Stena Line product the two ships together, alongside the HSS, opened up the timetable and with it new markets.
The last of the Harland & Wolff 'Saint class' ships to remain in service in UK waters, and indeed the last Sealink ship to remain in service with Stena Line, the Stena Caledonia continued in operation between Belfast and Stranraer 30 years after her launch from the Harland and Wolff yard.