Norman Trader

Taken on charter by Stena Line to provide cover for the Stena Adventurer's 2011 annual overhaul at Birkenhead, the Norman Trader arrived at Holyhead for the first time during the early hours of 9th June.

The ship is no stranger to the Irish Sea having been built in 1998 as the Dawn Merchant for Merchant Ferries' Liverpool to Dublin service alongside sister Brave Merchant. Another sister, built as the Midnight Merchant, sails between Liverpool and Dublin as P&O Ferries' European Endeavour.

Since finishing service at Liverpool in 2002 the ship has led something of a nomadic existance. A charter to Norfolk Line at Dover followed and this continued until October 2005 when she returned to the Mersey for lay-up. Now owned by Epic Shipping, the next charter brought the ship to Spain where she entered service between Barcelona and Palma for Balearia as the Pau Casals. She remained in this trade until 2008 following which a series of short terms charters were engaged.

In March 2010 she returned to home waters on a charter to Norfolk Line for service between Birkenhead and Dublin and then it was back to Dover where she commenced a charter to LD Lines operating to Boulogne as the Norman Trader. She remained on charter to LD, latterly running between Portsmouth and Le Havre, until February 2011. The following month saw her on charter to P&O Ferries for relief service between Liverpool and Dublin and on completion of this it was straight onto the Stena Line charter at Holyhead.

With thanks to Ronnie Roberts, Holyhead and Gordon Hislip, Dublin.