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20th June 2005

Stena Seafarer headed to the Mersey on the 18/6/05 for a brief dry docking to undergo some maintenance work.  She sailed from Fleetwood to Liverpool early in the morning of the 18/6/05 after discharging from her earlier arrival from Larne.  The ship entered a dry dock within Liverpool's Canada dock later that morning and remained there until the 19/6/05 when she undocked and returned to Fleetwood to take up service with the 0300 sailing on 20/6/05.  The 0300 sailing ex Fleetwood on 18/6/05 and 1600 service from Larne on 19/6/05 were subsequently cancelled as a result of the dry docking.

European Mariner Further Windfarm Charter Work

19th June 2005

European Mariner completed her second windfarm charter trip of the season when she left Larne for Campbeltown at 0930 on 18/6/05.  She loaded windfarm equipment and returned with her cargo to Larne later that evening at 2230.  The trailers onboard with the towers and rotor hubs were discharged at Curran Quay the following morning.  Further Campbeltown trips for windfarm components are scheduled for a number of weekends over the summer.

Cycling Captain Completes a Marathon Cycle Ride

17th June 2005

Captain Kevin Doyle of European Highlander rolled across the finish line of his charity cycle ride on 17/6/05 in Santiago, Spain.  The Eurocycle 2005 event commenced in Glasgow on 27/5/05 and after 22 days of hard riding P&O's cycling captain showed he can handle two wheels as easy as he handles the 21100grt ro-ro ferry he normally commands between Larne and Cairnryan.    Captain Doyle was riding for Marie Curie Cancer care and after all that pain he deserves all the support you can give him so if you haven't donated please consider doing so at: www.eurocycle.uk.com

The full tale of the sweat and pain endured during the 1650 miles of cycling can be read here. 

15th June 2005

The tug Marie Jose arrived at Larne from Campbeltown on the evening of 15/6/05.  The tug tied up at Phoenix quay outboard of the jack up rig Aoibheann.  She is to be used by the contractors involved with the sewer pipeline work and will be working along with Aoibheann to back fill the trench when once the new pipeline has been installed.

14th June 2005

Fast ferry Express missed two round trips on 13/6/05 after a technical problem with her navigation equipment forced her to be withdrawn from service.  The sailings missed were the 1300 ex Larne to Cairnryan and the 1730 ex Larne to Troon.  After repairs the vessel sailed on schedule with the 0715 ex Larne to Troon on 14/6/05.

Stena Seafarer Returns to Larne - Fleetwood Service

13th June 2005

Stena Seafarer made a welcome return to Larne after being absent from the 16th of May covering the Belfast - Stranraer route while Stena Caledonia was transferred to Rosslare - Fishguard to cover Stena Europe, which had her own dry docking and after that covered the dry docking of Stena Adventurer on the Dublin - Holyhead.

Stena Seafarer returned to Larne at 1130 on 13/6/05 moving light ship round from Belfast after discharging from her final voyage on the Belfast - Stranraer route, which was the 0010 ex Stranraer earlier that morning.  She picked up her usual run with the 1600 ex Larne - Fleetwood sailing bringing the Fleetwood service back up to full capacity.

12th June 2005

Coastal cargo vessel Alexandra S arrived in Larne at 2045 on 12/6/05 with a load of stone chippings.  The Larne harbour pilot was boarded 1 mile north of number one buoy by local tug Sarah McLoughlin, which also assisted the vessel alongside her berth at Olderfleet Quay.

More photographs of the arrival can be viewed here

European Mariner Transports Windmill Equipment

12th June 2005

Larne - Troon freight vessel European Mariner undertook a special charter sailing when she sailed to Campbeltown on 12/6/05 for a load of windmill towers.  The vessel was summoned out of her usual weekend lay up at 0400 on 12/6/05 when she left for Campbeltown to load the towers.  She returned to Larne with the windmills at 1845 and reloaded for her 1900 sailing to Troon which departed Larne at 2125.  More windmill charter sailings are planned for later in the summer.

Express Finishes Isle of Man TT Season

12th June 2005

P&O fast ferry Express completed her last sailing of her Isle of Man season with the 0300 ex Douglas on 12/6/05, bringing to competition P&O's first season assisting the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company during the busy Isle of Man TT Motorcycle races.

Apart from the delay on 4/6/05 when Douglas harbour was closed while the coastguard conducted a search for missing crewmembers from a tanker the 5 round sailing operated by Express from Larne sailed without a hitch.  The outward sailings from Larne on 2/6/05 and 3/6/05 were well patronised while inbound traffic filled up the return sailings from Douglas on 6/6/05, 11/6/05 and 12/6/05.

Jack Up Rig Stands Down for now

9th June 2005

The jack up rig Aoibheann was stood down from her digging work on 9/6/05 after completing the trench for the new sewer pipe.  She return to Phoenix Quay at 1345 with the assistance of Donna McLoughlin and Sarah McLoughlin.  Once the new sewer pipeline is laid in position Aoibheann will return to the dig site to back fill the trench

8th June 2005

Jack up rig Aoibheann started work at the seaward end of the new sewer pipe into Larne Lough on 8/6/05.  The jack up rig was delivered to Larne on 25/4/05 towed by tug Fastnet Falcon and it was berthed on Olderfleet Quay between then and the 24/5/05 when it was moved to Phoenix Quay by Sarah McLoughlin and Donna McLoughlin to accommodate a coaster arrival.  It was also moved to Curran Quay on two occasions to load its jack up legs and the JCB digger on 12/5/05 and 16/5/05.

Aoibheann was anchored just north of Continental Quay and will continue the trench for the new sewer pipeline out to sea.  This has been dug out so far by a land based JCB.  Currently all ferry movements must navigate past Aoibheann with extreme care.

4th June 2005

Making her second charter trip to Douglas from Larne on 4/6/05, fast ferry Express was held up at Douglas harbour while a search of the harbour and bay was in progress for two crew members reported missing from the Royal Fleet Auxiliary tanker Orangeleaf. 

Express had earlier departed Larne at 0010 with a full load of motorcycle race fans heading to the Isle of Man for the TT races.  She didn't arrive in Douglas until around 0500 after having to wait outside for 2 hours while local lifeboats and rescue teams continued the search in the harbour for the missing crew members from Orangeleaf.  The fast craft was only given permission to enter Douglas harbour after daybreak and turned round as fast as possible to depart again for Larne shortly after 0600.

After the delay, Express got back to Larne at 0845 instead of the scheduled 0600 and took up her run with the usual 0715 sailing to Troon which departed at 0930.  By the end of the day she had made up all the time lost and arrived back in Larne with the 2020 ex Troon on schedule.

3rd June 2005

P&O fast ferry Express made history on the 2/6/05 when she operated the first commercial sailing of a ferry between Larne and the Isle of Man for around 30 years.  Sailing on charter to the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company Express was called in to carry motorcycle race fans travelling to the Isle of Man to watch the Isle of Man TT races.  With a capacity load consisting of around 100 motorcycles in addition to the usual cars and vans, the Express sailed from Larne at 2345 on 2/6/05 under the command of Captain Kevin Allen with her first of five special charter sailings from Larne laid on for the TT spectators.  Further sailings are to be operated at 2359 ex Larne on 3/6/05 and at 2315 ex Larne on 6/6/05, 10/6/05 and 11/6/05.

The last commercial voyages between Larne and the Isle of Man were special excursion sailings arranged by local factories for employees and their families in the 1970's.  All the sailings were operated by Isle of Man Steam Packet Company passenger only vessels on charter to local travel agents.

Port of Larne's Chaine Reaction to Museum Plea

2nd June 2005

Port of Larne Press Release

The reopening of Larne Museum in the Carnegie Centre has received a major boost from the Port of Larne. The Port of Larne possesses a fascinating collection of documents and plans relating to the development of the harbour. Many date back to James Chaine and include beautiful hand coloured plans signed by him and his son. The Port of Larne has very generously offered a selection of these to Larne Museum to form part of the new exhibitions.

Gemma Reid, Arts and Heritage Officer, comments: "Larne's sheltered location and natural resources meant that it became one of Ireland's most important centres for trade, industry and travel. The development of a modern commercial harbour was primarily due to the vision and commitment of one man - James Chaine. The influence of Chaine is still being felt and appreciated not only at the Port but in Larne town and beyond and will form a major part of the exhibitions in the museum."

Staff at the museum have been working tirelessly to uncover documents and artefacts for the museum and contacted the Port of Larne to explore their historical links with James Chaine. As Ms Reid explains: "The Port of Larne has a fascinating history and have a superb collection of original documents some dating back to the 1800's which chart the history of the port and James Chaine's influence in it's development. We are absolutely delighted that the Port has very kindly agreed to donate a number of these original documents and provide digital copies of all historic items to the Larne Museum. The collection will be undoubtedly be of great interest to both history enthusiasts and local people who have a connection with Larne."

Alastair Gardiner, Managing Director, Port of Larne adds: "We have held our collection of historical documents through the years but while we have always felt that there would be a great public interest in them, we did not have the facilities in our own premises to allow public access to them. With the opening of Larne Museum, we are now in a position to share this tremendous history with the community in Larne and further afield. We hope that visitors to the museum will find them as fascinating as we have done."

The Port of Larne has also agreed to join forces with Larne Museum later in the year in an exhibition and series of school workshops celebrating local maritime history as part of SeaBritain 2005.

Seafarer Technical Problem

31st May 2005

Larne - Fleetwood vessel Stena Seafarer temporarily sailing on the Belfast - Stranraer route was withdrawn from service for a number of sailings with technical problems.

Operating the 2000 ex Belfast on 30/5/05 the Stena Seafarer suffered the loss of power from one main engine due to a technical problem at around 2315 in the vicinity of Corsewall Point. 

Rather than await tug assistance coming from the Clyde in the open waters near the Scottish coast, Stena Seafarer returned to Belfast on reduced power where the Belfast based tug Norton Cross was on hand to assist Stena Seafarer back onto her berth at around 0300 on 31/5/05.

The freight vessel was out of service for repairs until the 1015 sailing ex Belfast on 1/6/05 missing in total 3 return voyages.

30th May 2005

The Larne - Fleetwood service saw the return of Stena Seafarer for a special relief sailing on Saturday 28/5/05.  She arrived at Larne light ship from Belfast at 0800 and operated a round trip in place of Stena Pioneer, departing Larne at 1030.  Due to a technical problem and having to carry capacity loads Stena Pioneer had fallen behind schedule and didn't arrive at Larne from Fleetwood until 1730 on 28/5/05 instead of the usual arrival time of 0600.  After discharging her cargo Stena Pioneer laid up on Curran Quay for maintenance from the evening of the 28/5/05 to early on the 29/5/05 before picking up her usual schedule with the 0900 sailing from Larne on 29/5/05.

Stena Seafarer returned to her relief duties on the Belfast - Stranraer service after discharging from her inbound Fleetwood service.  She sailed from Larne light ship at 1100 on 29/5/05 and recommenced service at Belfast with the 2000 sailing to Stranraer that evening.

Stena Leader had also experienced some delays as a consequence of the delays to Stena Pioneer's schedules.  By the evening of 29/5//05 the Stena Leader had recovered some of what had built up to a 6 hour delay earlier in the week.  It was expected that she would gradually pick up the rest of the time lost over her next few sailings and by 31/5/05 she was running on time.  All Larne - Fleetwood sailings are sailing at or near capacity due to Stena Seafarer being away from the service providing relief cover at Belfast.

P&O fast ferry sailings were also disrupted on the Larne - Cairnryan route.  The Express sailing at 1300 to Cairnryan and the return voyage on 28/5/05 were both cancelled due to bad weather but the fast craft did manage to make her Troon trips at 0715 and 1700 ex Larne.  The Cairnryan round trip on 29/5/05 was also cancelled due to a technical problem.

26th May 2005

On 26/5/05 coastal cargo vessel Ben Varrey arrived off the harbour entrance and anchored for several hours for shelter while she awaited orders for her next cargo.  She raised her anchor and headed south at approx. 1830.  Ben Varrey was a regular caller at Blue Circle's  Magheramorne pier up until the pier was closed in 2002.

Early on the day before Ben Varrey's call (25/5/05) coaster Stina arrived at Olderfleet Quay with a cargo of silver sand.  To facilitate Stina's arrival the jack up rig Aoibheann was moved to Phoenix Quay on 24/5/05 by tugs Sarah McLoughlin and Donna McLoughlin as her work on the new sewer pipe line in Larne Lough has not yet commenced.  Once discharge was completed Stina departed for Loch Alainn at around 1800 with local tug Sarah McLoughlin in attendance.

Fleetwood Visitor

22nd May 2005

The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company seem to be appearing more often on the pages of Larne Ferry Web in recent times and a number of recent excursions by their side loading car ferry Lady of Mann has seen her deviate into territory covered by this news page.  On Friday 20/5/05 the Lady of Mann made a special excursion trip from Douglas to Troon.  The ship spent the night at Troon and was passed by the Larne fast ferry Express.  Returning the next day to Douglas the ship cruised south along the Irish coast passing the Maidens, just outside the Larne harbour port limits at around 1300.

On Sunday 22/5/05 the Lady of Mann made an excursion run to Fleetwood berthing in front of Larne - Fleetwood ferry Stena Leader.  Captain Richard Jamieson of the Stena Leader snapped Lady of Mann alongside the Isle of Man berth at Fleetwood and his picture is reproduced below.

22nd May 2005

The North West 200 motorcycle races around the triangle circuit between Coleraine, Portrush and Portstewart certainly draw the crowds so much so that P&O laid on some extra sailings to cope with the legions of supporters travelling to see the races.

Last Sunday, 15/5/05, European Causeway and European Highlander operated additional sailings at 1030 and 1330 from either side instead of the usual 1200 ex Larne and 1330 ex Cairnryan.  This pattern was repeated on the following Sunday, 22/5/05, with the sailings from Larne being well used by motorcycle fans returning home after race day on 21/5/05.

Fast craft Express deviated slightly from her usual timetable by offering an 0900 sailing ex Larne to Cairnryan on 22/5/05 instead of the usual 0715 to Troon.  Services for the rest of the day continued as normal with the bulk of the vehicle traffic being motorcycles.

16th May 2005

Larne - Fleetwood freight vessel Stena Seafarer was temporarily transferred from her usual duties at Larne to work the Belfast - Stranraer route for a period of approximately 2 weeks.  Her final sailing on the Fleetwood service was the 2200 ex Fleetwood on the 15/5/05, after discharging in Larne the following morning she proceeded to Belfast to pick up the Stena Caledonia's normal schedule with the 1015 ex Belfast on 16/5/05.  Stena Seafarer will cover Stena Caledonia which has been moved from her usual Belfast - Stranraer service to the Rosslare - Fishguard route while Stena Europe undergoes her annual overhaul.

11th May 2005

The coaster Cotswold arrived at Larne on 11/5/05 to pick up a crew member.  The vessel arrived off the fairway buoy and the crew member was transferred to the ship at approx 1830 by the tug Sarah McLoughlin.

9th May 2005

Two Canadian warships HMCS Goose Bay and HMCS Shawinigan paid a short visit to Larne on the evening of 9/5/05.  Both ships are Kingston class coastal defence vessels and were travelling together from Londonderry to Cork when they passed into Larne to put ashore personnel.  The personnel were transferred ashore by a RIB motor launch while the ships remained offshore.  Both vessels departed again shortly after 2100.

Tug Nomad Arrives

9th May 2005

The tug Nomad (ex Duke of Normandy) arrived in Larne around 2215 on 8/5/05 seeking shelter from heavy seas.  The vessel was en route from Jersey to Killybegs and was passing Larne at 2130.  Riding through heavy seas, the tug was taking in water to her forward compartments and requested assistance from the local lifeboat to help pump out the accumulated flood water.  Larne Lifeboat RNLB Dr John McSparran launched and escorted Nomad into Larne's Phoenix Quay where she arrived at 2215.  Lifeboat crew boarded the tug with a pump when she came alongside and assisted Nomad's crew to remove the water in the flooded compartments.  After a Coastguard inspection Nomad departed Larne to continue her journey on the afternoon of 9/5/05.

This rescue was the second shout so far this year for the local lifeboat.  Previously, Dr John McSparran was launched on 30/04/05 to assist a 34 foot sailing boat Sa Jouet on passage from the Clyde to Cork.  The yacht, with 6 persons on board, had suffered mechanical failure 7 miles east of the E Maidens lighthouse.  The disabled vessel was towed to Larne Harbour and safely berthed at the Castle Quay.  After engine repairs she resumed her journey to Cork the following day.

8th May 2005

Larne to Fleetwood vessel Stena Seafarer broke free from her berth at Continental Quay at approx 1400 on 8/5/05.  Having arrived earlier that morning from Fleetwood on a relief sailing in place of Stena Pioneer the Stena Seafarer was beginning to reload for her 1600 sailing to Fleetwood when she parted some of her forward moorings in strong north westerly winds and began to be blown across the harbour.

Her crew acted quickly by dropping both anchors and these held her steady until the tugs Donna McLoughlin and Sarah McLoughlin arrived on the scene to assist Stena Seafarer back alongside.

The strong winds had also resulted in the cancellation of the 1300 sailing of Express to Cairnryan and the departure of her 1730 sailing to Troon was delayed until 2130.

2nd May 2005

Following on from last weekend's relief sailings on the Belfast - Stranraer route, Larne - Fleetwood freight ferry Stena Seafarer carried out a further two sailings on the Stranraer service over the weekend 30/4/05-2/5/05.  She left Larne at 1600 on the 30/4/05 for Belfast and started sailings to Stranraer with the 2200 ex Belfast in place of Stena Voyager, which was held back until 0230 on the 1/5/05 to accommodate traffic from a concert in Belfast.

After returning to Belfast the following morning Stena Seafarer sailed a further round trip to Stranraer departing Belfast at 2000 on the 1/5/05 before returning to her usual duties on the Larne - Fleetwood route on 2/5/05.  With Stena Caledonia due to return from dry docking at A&P Birkenhead this coming week Stena Seafarer's relief spell on the Belfast - Stranraer route looks to be finished for now.

Bad Weather delays Express

28th April 2005

Strong gales on the morning of 28/4/05 resulted in the cancellation of the 0715 sailing of the Express to Troon and the 1300 sailing to Cairnryan.  By the evening the winds had moderated and the 1730 sailing to Troon did sail but left Larne an hour and a half late at 1900.

25th April 2005

Cork based tug Fastnet Falcon arrived in Larne with the jack up rig Aoibheann in tow at 2115 on 25/4/05.  The jack up rig has been delivered to Larne to help in the building of a new sewage outfall pipe into Larne Lough.  Fastnet Falcon departed once she had safely berthed Aoibheann at Olderfleet Quay.  Local tug Sarah McLoughlin escorted the tug and rig into port and also assisted Fastnet Falcon to push Aoibheann alongside the berth.

25th April 2005

Larne - Troon freight vessel European Mariner returned to Larne at 1000 on 25/4/05 after 4 weeks undergoing overhaul at A&P Birkenhead's number 7 dry dock.  Aside from the usual survey work carried out at a dry docking the vessel also received a full repaint, the first since May 2002.  She re-commenced Larne - Troon freight sailings with the 1900 sailing from Larne on 25/4/05.  During European Mariner's extended absence her freight was re-routed via Larne - Cairnryan while fast ferry Express carried some trade cars between Larne and Troon.

During the European Mariner's dry docking at Birkenhead she was to find herself in the company of 2 other vessels with Larne connections.  Former Larne based fast ferry Superstar Express remains laid up in A&P's wet basin facility while former Larne - Stranraer ferry Stena Caledonia arrived at the shipyard on the 20/4/05 for her own overhaul.

Stena Seafarer on Belfast - Stranraer

25th April 2005

Larne - Fleetwood vessel Stena Seafarer was pressed into service on Stena Line's Belfast - Stranraer service from Saturday 23/4/05 to Monday 25/4/05 to cover the dry docking of Stena Caledonia.

Normally laid up in Larne from 1100 on Saturday to 1600 on Sunday, Stena Seafarer was transferred to Belfast and operated the 2000 service from Belfast - Stranraer on 23/4/05 and 24/4/05 with a return sailing to Belfast departing Stranraer at 0100 the following day.  After her 3 days on the Belfast - Stranraer route Stena Seafarer returned to Larne on Monday 25/4/05 to take up Fleetwood service with the 1600 departure.  The usual 1600 service from Larne to Fleetwood on Sunday 24/4/05 was cancelled allowing Stena Seafarer one more day on the Stranraer service.

Stena Seafarer will continue to operate on the Larne - Fleetwood service Monday - Saturday and will transfer to Belfast each weekend until the return of Stena Caledonia from dry docking at A&P Birkenhead.

Riot on board Express

24th April 2005

Rival football supporters travelling home from watching the Scottish Premier League title deciding match between Rangers and Celtic started a brawl aboard the P&O fast ferry Express on 24/4/05.  The vessel was inbound to Larne with the 2020 sailing from Troon when the fighting broke out on board.  Riot police were called to meet the vessel's arrival and were waiting when she docked in Larne at 2230.  Around 25 police officers including a dog handling team boarded the vessel to break up the fighting and 4 arrests were made before passengers and their vehicles were allowed to disembark shortly after 2300.

14th April 2005

European Highlander master Captain Kevin Doyle is set to switch comfort for pain as he exchanges his normal work aboard the Larne - Cairnryan ferry for almost a month in the saddle of his bicycle on a charity cycle ride through Europe.  Eurocycle 2005 is the brain child of Captain Doyle and Father Stephen Sharkey, the local priest from Captain Doyle's home in Moffat and he will be cycling alongside Captain Doyle the whole way.  Both men are hoping to raise as much money possible for their designated charities, Marie Curie Cancer Care and the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

Eurocycle 2005 will begin in Glasgow on the 27th of May and end 1650 miles later in Santiago de Compostela, Spain - said to be the final resting place of James the Apostle.  Captain Doyle and his team will cycle the 1650 miles to Santiago via the Portsmouth - Le Havre ferry, then its overland through France until the Spanish border before the gruelling climb over the Pyrenees and along the northern coast of Spain to the finish line.

This isn't the first time Captain Doyle has embarked on a crazy caper for a good cause.  He already has the 1200 miles round the coast of Ireland under his belt from his previous Circuit of Ireland charity cycle ride in 2002 when he was master of European Pathfinder.  In that event Captain Doyle raised a whopping £10,000 and he is hoping to beat that total with Eurocycle 2005.

To read more about Eurocycle 2005 click on www.eurocycle.uk.com and please consider donating to this most worthy of causes.

10th April 2005

Ferry sailings from Larne experienced a number of disruptions over a two day spell when inclement weather and untimely technical problems caused some sailing alterations.

Feeling the strain of some north easterly winds fast ferry Express missed 4 round voyages over the 7/4/05 to the 8/4/05 with two Cairnryan trips and two Troon trips being cancelled due to the poor weather conditions.  After arriving in Larne at 1300 with her morning Troon round trip on 7/4/05 the fast craft remained in port until weather conditions moderated.  She next sailed again at 1845 on 8/4/05 with a delayed 1730 sailing to Troon.

Disruption for P&O services continued on the 8/4/05 when conventional ferry European Highlander missed her 1330 departure from Larne to Cairnryan after a technical problem prevented the closing of her bow visor.  The vessel was moved to Curran Quay and her cargo was transferred to the European Causeway, which sailed at 1830 with a delayed 1630 service.  European Highlander re-entered service with her 2000 sailing from Larne and European Causeway had picked up the 2 hours she had lost by the morning of the 9/4/05.

Up at Continental Quay, which is the berth most prone to northerly winds, Stena Line's Fleewood vessels experienced some problems berthing in the strong winds.  However, delays were kept to a minimum with some sailings over the 7/4/05 and 8/4/05 using the more sheltered berth at Curran Quay.  Usually servicing European Mariner's freight service to Troon, Curran Quay was free due to the continued absence of the European Mariner, which is off service at present undergoing overhaul in dry dock at A&P Birkenhead.