IT'S a long way from pulling pints and clearing tables during a summer job on the Irish Sea to helping guide your own multi-million pound ferry into Belfast Harbour.
Okay, so Paul Grant didn't actually captain the Stena Edda on its maiden voyage from Liverpool yesterday, nor indeed does he own it.
But the Stena Line's Irish Sea trade director, who's served the company man and boy, had more pride that most when the biggest ferry ever to sail on the Belfast to Liverpool route finally berthed at shortly before 7am.
Grant is immersed in sea travel and a one-company man, having started working with the ferry giant in 1984.
"It's been quite a journey, with many significant changes to sea travel, but this is an absolute game-changer for us," he says of the Edda's arrival.
It is part of an investment of more than £200 million by the Scandinavian-owned shipping company in three new vessels and infrastructural upgrades, involving the company’s partners at Peel Ports and Belfast Harbour.
Edda is the first of two new ferries that will offer a choice of daily sailings on the Belfast to Liverpool route (its China-built sister Stena Estrid will arrive at the tail end of this year and enter service next January).
"This project has been six years in the planning - long before words like Brexit or coronavirus ever entered our vocabularies - and Edda truly is the next generation of ferry travel," he told the Irish News.
"It offers 40 per cent more deck capacity, 40 per cent more cabins and 30 per cent more fuel efficiency than current vessels on the route, accommodating up to 1,000 passengers, 120 cars in its dedicated garage deck and 3,100 lane metres of freight.
"The passenger experience is very much at the top of our list, and the Edda is more spacious than previous vessels on the route, with a Sky Bar and Scandinavian design providing new levels of comfort for both freight and travel guests. The vessel also offers greater panoramic views as well as digitally enhanced customer experiences."
Grant added: “The Liverpool to Belfast route has been growing consistently since Stena Line acquired it almost 10 years ago. In that time, we’ve continued to increase capacity, improve the product and last year was a record-breaking year for freight and travel.
“We've great confidence in the route, and we are determined to continue this growth.”
While refusing to dismiss the current threat posed to travel by coronavirus and also the ballyhoo around the bridge to Scotland debate ("upgrading the roads in Scotland would be a better option"), Grant is buoyed by Stena's performance.
"Stena launched its Irish Sea services in November 1995, and we've had many potential worries, including foot-and-mouth. We just have to take it on the chin and get on with it."
He added: "While Stena Line is an important part of the European logistics network, Belfast remains its biggest hub, and our owners' continued investment in our routes is testimony to their confidence in the local Northern Ireland economy."
