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28th September 2004

P&O's long waited review of their ferry operations was announced early on the 28th of September.  Widely expected to bring some serious repercussions to the south of England routes from Portsmouth and Dover it did have some ramifications for Larne based services too.

Analysts were expecting the excellently performing routes from Larne to Cairnryan and Troon to remain unaltered by the review.  This is more or less the case with freight services on the two routes set to remain at current levels of service using the existing ships.

On the passenger side of operations the North Channel fast ferry routes to Cairnryan and Troon are to lose the excellent service of the fast craft Superstar Express.  The charter of Superstar Express is not to be renewed for next year and she is to be returned to her owners Star Cruises of Malaysia.  Coming to Larne in her place is the Cherbourg Express which is to become redundant when 3 routes from Portsmouth are closed.

Cherbourg Express was built in 1998 by International Catamarans of Hobart Tasmania and at one time held the Hales Trophy for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic Ocean.  She has been based at Portsmouth on charter to P&O ferries for the past 4 years and under her former name of Portsmouth Express the vessel displaced the Superstar Express from the Portsmouth - Cherbourg service in 2000. 

Cherbourg Express will boost capacity on the Larne - Troon and Larne - Cairnryan fast ferry routes over Superstar Express offering space for 900 passengers and 220 cars compared to 800 passengers and 175 cars on the Superstar Express.  Where she can't match the Superstar Express is in reliability and her 4 year stint at Portsmouth has been marked by long periods out of service due to mechanical failures of one form or another.  You may recall that in her first year of service at Portsmouth the Superstar Express had to return to Portsmouth to cover after the ship was retired from service with major engine damage.

Superstar Express Completes a Successful Summer Season

22nd September 2004

P&O's North Channel fast ferry Superstar Express completed a very successful 2004 summer season sailing on the Larne - Troon and Larne - Cairnryan routes.  Her final sailing from Larne was the 1900 service to Troon on the 19th of September returning to Larne with the inbound sailing from Troon in the early hours of the 20th of September after battling through gale force winds.

The vessel had a very reliable season mechanically, losing only a handful of crossing this summer due to technical problems and certainly must rank highly on the list of most reliable fast craft in her class.  She also got the best of the weather and lost very few sailings due to adverse weather, the majority of the weather cancellations coming in her last week of service when very strong autumn gales lashed the North Channel.

Preliminary traffic figures for the Troon route show healthy increases in traffic consolidating the route's bright future in only its second full year of operation.

Superstar Express will lay up for the winter on Merseyside as per last year.  She left Larne at 1040hrs on 22nd September for lay up after a spate of gale force winds had delayed the trip from the 20th September.

Liverpool bound from Larne and another winter of hibernation, the Superstar Express departs her Northern Ireland home for one final time in 2004 hot on the trail of the 1030 Cairnryan sailing of the European Highlander.  She was safely taken to Merseyside under the watchful eye of her master Captain Kevin Allen, who also had the honour of taking the first sailings of her 2004 summer season way back on Thursday 8th of April 2004.  All 4 photos: LFW (click to enlarge)

Port of Larne Secures Top Award

21st September 2004

The full press release from Larne Harbour Ltd is copied below:

PORT OF LARNE SECURES TOP AWARD

The Port of Larne has walked away from the Transport and Logistics Awards 2004 with the prestigious title "Irish Port of the Year."

Beating off stiff competition from a short-list which included Belfast and Dublin Ports, the port secured the impressive accolade at an awards ceremony in the Ramada Hotel.

A delighted Captain Alastair Gardiner, Managing Director, Port of Larne commented: "The Port of Larne is one of the major ro-ro ports in the UK and Ireland. Winning Irish Port of the Year is confirmation of this. The key to our success is our commitment to customer service. We are totally focused on our customers needs and adopt a flexible approach to business.  We work closely with all our customers to ensure that their requirements are met. This philosophy is the cornerstone of our success."

Customers at the Port of Larne include two top shipping companies, P&O Irish Sea and Stena Line as well as Wincanton Distribution, P&O Ferrymasters, Fry Transport, Marsh Freight and Barline Transport.

The judging panel highlighted recent developments at the Port of Larne which has seen the return of Stena to operate the Larne-Fleetwood route, the development of the Larne-Troon fast ferry service and the arrival of the first ever cruise ship to Larne.

Captain Gardiner continues: "The Port of Larne has seen major developments over the past twelve months. Stena Line returned to Larne in April and has reported that the Larne-Fleetwood route has contributed positively to a 44% increase on its Irish Sea business while P&O Irish Sea's Larne-Troon fast ferry service has recorded a year-to-date increase of 21% on the number of passengers and 7.1% on the number of vehicles using this route. We entered the cruise market for the first time ever with the arrival of mv Funchal in May and with further cruise vessels booked, we have taken a positive step in developing this market in the future."

Over 800,000 passengers, 450,000 commercial vehicles and 200,000 tourist vehicles will use the port in 2004 with P&O Irish Sea and Stena Line operating up 32 scheduled movements daily to Cairnryan, Troon and Fleetwood.

"The Port of Larne is an exceptionally busy port," adds Captain Gardiner, "and our success is a credit to all our staff who show total dedication and commitment. I would like to pay tribute to everyone and thank them for the part they have played in ensuring that the Port of Larne is the Irish Port of the Year 2004."

4th September 2004

The Larne - Fleetwood vessel Stena Seafarer paid a visit to Stena's Stranraer port on the afternoon of Saturday the 4th of September.

She was all fast at the Ross Pier conventional ferry berth at approx. 1610hrs and underwent berthing trials lasting about an hour and a half. 

At her recent dry docking during August 2004 the Stena Seafarer's stern ramp was modified to fit the Stranraer linkspan.  Previous trials at Stranraer in June 2004 indicated that some slight modifications would be required for a good fit at a the Ross Pier ramp.  The Ross Pier ramp, opened in 1979, was designed to accept ferries bow first.

A number of trailers were shunted on and off the vessel before she departed for Larne again at 1750.  She re-entered service on the Fleetwood route with her 1600 service from Larne on the 5th of September.

1st September 2004

The coastal cargo ship Alexandra S arrived at Larne on the 31st of August, passing in shortly after the European Highlander departed on the midnight sailing to Cairnryan.  The vessel's last call at Larne was in early July and this latest visit brings this year's recorded coaster arrivals to nine.  The vessel departed again on the 1st of September.

Bank Holiday Ferry Movements

29th August 2004

P&O Cairnryan Conventional:
The Cairnryan service provided by European Causeway and European Highlander was unaffected by the bank holiday arrangements sailing as per timetable.  The extra Sunday sailings departing Larne at 1030 and 1330 for the month of August are due to revert to a single crossing at 12 noon from next Sunday (5th September 2004)

P&O Troon freight:
European Mariner was laid up on Curran Quay as normal at the weekend.  She swung and berthed starboard side to for a few hours on Saturday afternoon and a crane was observed on her stern ramp which appeared to be carrying out  maintenance operations at the forward dolphin on Curran Quay.  Recently retired Captain Hywel Jones has made a welcome return as temporary relief master on his old ship.

P&O fast ferry:
Superstar Express sailings to Cairnryan and Troon were operating as usual over the bank holiday.  Now that the Scottish football season has restarted the early morning sailing to Troon and late evening return from Troon are proving popular with Northern Ireland based football fans going over to watch matches.

Stena Line Fleetwood:
Stena Line operations to Fleetwood were delayed by a few hours on Friday 27th August due to a technical problem with Stena Pioneer, which subsequently sailed late to Fleetwood around 1300hrs.  This delayed the incoming Stena Seafarer on her 0300 ex Fleetwood which had to use Curran Quay to discharge as the Stena Pioneer was still on Continental Quay when Stena Seafarer arrived.  European Mariner made room for the Seafarer by going to anchor and freeing Curran Quay for her use.

Stena Seafarer got the weekend off at anchor just north of Larne.  She was laid up from after her 1400hrs arrival from Fleetwood on 28th of August until her 1600hrs sailing on Monday 30th August.  Her usual 1600hrs sailing on Sunday was cancelled due to the bank holiday.  Stena Pioneer and Stena Leader sailed as usual.

26th August 2004

12th August 2004

The Stena Seafarer returned to Larne for the first time after her dry docking at North Western Ship Repairers, Liverpool and thus completes the current dry dockings of the local Larne based ferries.  The Fleetwood route moves back up to 3 ferries allowing the 1600hrs sailing from Larne and 0300hrs sailings from Fleetwood to be reintroduced now that the Stena Seafarer has returned to service.

4th August 2004

Stena Leader re-entered service on the Larne - Fleetwood route with her 1000hrs service from Fleetwood on the 4th of August.  The return of Stena Leader allowed Stena Seafarer to retire for her dry docking in Liverpool.  The Stena Seafarer's final sailing prior to dry docking was her 1000hrs sailing from Larne on the 4th of August. 

Meanwhile, Stena Pioneer which had been on the usual roster of the Stena Leader finished that schedule with the 2200hrs sailing from Larne on the 3rd.  After discharging in Fleetwood the following morning (4/8/04) she vacated the berth to allow the Stena Leader fresh from refit to load for her first trip at 1000hrs before picking up her usual schedule with the 2200hrs ex Fleetwood that same evening.

Coaster Thebe in Larne

31st July 2004

The coastal cargo ship Thebe departed Larne at 1130hrs on the 31st of July.  She had arrived with a cargo of dolomite chips late on the 29th of July.  Unloading took place using a mobile grab crane at Olderfleet quay and the ship departed as soon as discharge was complete.

European Causeway Problems

30th July 2004

The return of European Causeway from dry dock on the 26th of July was not without its trials and tribulations.  A subsequent problem with a propeller shaft forced the 4 year veteran of the Cairnryan route to operate on reduced power for a few days.  A tug was required to be on standby at Larne whenever the vessel was arriving or departing.  Amazingly, despite her enforced handicap she was never more than 30 minutes behind schedule.  Repairs were carried out while the ship remained in service and she was back on full power by 31st July.

26th July 2004

European Causeway returned to Larne after her dry docking at Birkenhead on the 26th of July at 1420hrs.  She re-entered service with her scheduled 1630hrs sailing to Cairnryan the same day.  With the return of the European Causeway to service, sister ship European Highlander returned to her normal schedule of 3 and a half round trips per day instead of operating 4 round trips per day to cover the absence of the European Causeway.

The Cairnryan ferries had been stretched during the past 2 weeks with both European Highlander and Superstar Express carrying large loads of passengers and cars during the traditional July holiday fortnight in Northern Ireland.  Troon freight vessel European Mariner was called in to carry trailers and a limited amount of driver accompanied freight to help ease the pressure on the European Highlander.  European Mariner worked these voyages to Cairnryan during time normally spent laid up at Larne in between her usual Troon freight sailings.

Stena Pioneer Returns

17th July 2004

Stena Pioneer returned to service after her dry docking at Birkenhead with the 1000hrs service from Fleetwood to Larne.  She entered service in place of Stena Leader which sailed direct to dry dock after discharging in Fleetwood after her 2200hrs service from Larne on the 16th of July.  Photos of the Stena Leader in the Mersey are on irishseashipping.com here

The Fleetwood service is currently being operated by the Stena Seafarer (1000hrs ex Larne, 2200hrs ex Fleetwood) and Stena Pioneer (2200hrs ex Larne and 1000hrs ex Fleetwood).  Pictures of Stena Seafarer inbound to Fleetwood are available on irishseashipping.com here

The Stena Pioneer is pictured below inbound to Larne on the 17th of July with her first sailing post refit.  The ship didn't receive the Stena Line trade name to the hull but did get a fresh coat of paint making her bright and clean once again.

12th July 2004

Larne - Cairnryan

The European Causeway left the route after discharging in Cairnryan at the conclusion of her usual 0730 sailing from Larne on the 10th of July.  She departed Cairnryan for refit at A&P Birkenhead and is not due to return to service until the 25th of July.

No relief ship will be used to cover the absence of European Causeway instead sister ship European Highlander has been rescheduled to complete 4 round trips per day (Mon - Fri) instead of the usual 3 and a half.

Pictures of European Causeway on the Mersey are laid out below courtesy of Michael Bracken

European Causeway passing the Mersey Ferry Royal Daffodil on her way up the River Mersey for drydocking at Birkenhead.  Photo: Michael Bracken click to enlarge	European Causeway chalks up her first visit to the River Mersey on the 10th of July 2004.  Photo: Michael Bracken click to enlarge
European Causeway on her way past the famous riverside buildings of Liverpool.  Photo: Michael Bracken (click to enlarge)	Dried out in the dry dock at A&P Birkenhead; her 4th dry docking is scheduled to last 2 weeks.  Photo: Michael Bracken (click to enlarge)
Irishseashipping.com webmaster John Luxton also snapped European Causeway on the Mersey and his photos are accessible here

Larne - Fleetwood

Stena Pioneer commenced the Fleetwood route refits when she sailed light from Fleetwood at 1715 for A&P Birkenhead on Friday the 9th of July.  Earlier that day she had left Larne with her last commercial voyage prior to refit at 0700hrs.  Stena Seafarer has changed over to the Stena Pioneer's normal sailings (1000 ex Larne and 2200 ex Fleetwood) while Stena Seafarer's own 1600 ex Larne and 0300 ex Fleetwood sailings are cancelled.  Excellent photos of Stena Seafarer in Fleetwood on the 10th of July available from Irishseashipping.com reader Martin Edmondson on this link

The Stena Pioneer is due to return to service on the 16th of July allowing the Stena Leader to refit.  During the Stena Leader's refit the Stena Pioneer will be on the Stena Leader's sailings at 2200 ex Larne and 1000 ex Fleetwood.

The after end of Stena Pioneer in dry dock at A&P's Birkenhead yard where the funnel is getting some attention.  This part of the funnel dates from her 3rd deck conversion in 1995 and reports indicate it has suffered some corrosion in recent years.  Photo: Michael Bracken (click to enlarge)	Former fleetmates now rivals- the foremast of P&O's European Causeway provides the foreground while in the background the bridge and foremast of Stena Line's Stena Pioneer (ex P&O's European Pioneer) all in the strange surroundings of Birkenhead.  Photo: Michael Bracken (click to enlarge)

Larne - Troon

During the 12th of July holidays the Larne - Troon freight service was suspended.  The European Mariner finished with her 0230 service from Troon on the morning of 10th of July and she is not scheduled to return to service until her 1900 departure from Larne on the 13th of July.  Superstar Express sailings on both the Troon and Cairnryan routes were unaffected by the refit changes.

5th July 2004

The Alexandra S arrived at Olderfleet Quay on Monday 5th July with a cargo of dolomite chippings from Norway.  She departed after discharge was completed around 1700hrs on Wednesday 7th July, managing to elude my camera on both arrival and departure.

You may recall this coaster was in Larne last year, the LFW webmaster recorded two visits one on the 7th of July 2003 and the other on the 10th of September 2003.  See the relevant news stories on the 2003 July - September news archive here.

1 July 2004

The Superstar Express missed at two scheduled trips - the 1555 to Cairnryan and the 1900 to Troon on the 1st of July due to a technical problem.  The problem was rectified late in the evening and she sailed at 2100 to Cairnryan.  She was back in full service the next day.

She also missed some sailings on the 30th June, but it was not known whether these missed voyages were due to the same technical problem or because of bad weather.