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31st December 2007

Larne - Cairnryan ferry European Causeway brought a busy 2007 to a close with the final vessel arrival at Larne Harbour for the year at 1820 on the 31/12/07.  She completed operations with the 1630 ex Cairnryan and was laid up at MacKean Quay over New Yaer while sister ship European Highlander had the honour of being the final outbound sailing of 2007 with the 1630 ex Larne.  She remained alongside Cairnryan number 1 over the New Year.

Troon operations stopped for 2007 with European Mariner's final inbound run on Saturday, 29/12/07.  This arrived at Curran Quay at 0640 and after discharge the 'Mariner was laid up alongside for the New Year period.

Stena Line's Larne - Fleetwood route completed 2007 with the 2200 sailings from either port on the 30/12/07.  Stena Seafarer arrived in Larne at 0800 on the morning of the 31st and was laid up alongside Continental Quay while route companion Stena Pioneer was laid up in Fleetwood after her arrival there at 0445 on the morning of the 31st.  

The Fleetwood route had been operating a two ship schedule between Christmas and New Year using Stena Seafarer and Stena Pioneer on 2 departures per day.  This was reduced to only one departure a day from each port at 2200 on Saturday the 30th and Sunday the 31st.  The route's third ship Stena Leader remains in Birkenhead for annual overhaul since arriving there on the 22/12/07.

24th December 2007

Larne ships completed a busy run up to Christmas with final sailings prior to the festive season on the 3 routes from the port being completed on the 24/12/07. 

The Cairnryan twins stopped at the completion of their respective 1630 sailings from either port with European Causeway spending Christmas alongside at Cairnryan while European Highlander tied up for the festive period in Larne.  Both ships have been particularly busy with cars and passengers in the run up to Christmas and it is reported that P&O's presence in this sector of the market is markedly improved over recent years.

Troon sailings by European Mariner finished on the morning of the 24/12/07 with a weather delayed 0230 ex Troon, which arrived in Larne at 1145.  Her outward sailing the previous night was delayed on departure after it was reported Troon was experiencing south-westerly gales in excess of 40 knots.  The ship loaded in Larne as normal for a 1900 departure on the 23/12 but remained alongside until conditions moderated in Scotland, finally departing for Troon at midnight.

Stena's Larne - Fleetwood route had already dropped back to a two ship service on Friday 21/12/07 when Stena Leader left the route for dry docking.  Stena Seafarer and Stena Pioneer continued in the meantime providing a two ship service with both vessels completing sailings prior to Christmas with departures from either port at 1000 on 24/12/07.  These sailings were for unaccompanied freight only and both vessels remained alongside with cargo still aboard, not discharging until after Christmas.  Stena Pioneer spent Christmas at Fleetwood while Stena Seafarer rested alongside Larne's Continental Quay.

Summary of Final Christmas Movements:

Leader Dry Docking

22nd December 2007

Larne's regular night link with Fleetwood, Stena Leader became the first of Stena's  Larne based ferries to make her way to dry dock as Stena's winter overhaul program moved into full swing.  The Fleetwood route's longest ship was withdrawn from service on the 21/12/07 to undergo annual refit under the care of North Western Ship Repair at Birkenhead.

The vessel's final voyage was the 1000 ex Fleetwood on the 21/12/07.  After discharge in Larne Stena Leader loaded equipment needed for overhaul and left for Birkenhead at 1945.  Taking her place was sister ship Stena Seafarer whose own 1600 ex Larne / 0300 ex Fleetwood cycle was cancelled from the 21/12 after her late morning arrival in Larne.  Stena Seafarer stepped up the roster and started on the Stena Leader's normal sailing cycle with the 2200 ex Larne on the 22/12/07. 

Coaster Call

20th December 2007

Coastal cargo vessel Pilsum made a visit to Larne harbour with a cargo of dolomite chippings.  The ship arrived from Malaga at 0910 on the 19/12/07 berthing at Olderfleet Quay.  She was discharged over a two day period using a mobile grab crane and departed light ship bound for Plymouth on the 20/12/07 at 1645.

Local tug Maria McLoughlin assisted both the inward and outward movements of the coaster.

Further reading:

http://www.echoship.dk/web410.asp?toppkt=77

Mariner's Highland Odyssey

16th December 2007

Larne - Troon freighter European Mariner picked up some valuable charter work over the weekend 15th - 16th December 2007 when she was hired to convey 10 Caterpillar dump trucks weighing in at about 60 tons each from Troon to Oban.

The dump trucks were destined for a quarry at Glensanda and were too big for the road network in the west Highlands.  They were about to be dismantled and transported by lorry when the idea of using sea to move them in one piece occurred to the powers that be - a task easily suited to the 'Mariner as these types of vehicle are often to be found on her regular Larne - Troon cargo manifest.

On Saturday 15/12/07 the European Mariner left Larne at 0815 after discharging cargo from her usual 0230 ex Troon bound once again to the Ayrshire port where she arrived at 1215 to load the dump trucks for Oban.  These were secure aboard by 1400 after which she left for Oban passing round the Mull of Kintyre and through the Sound of Jura arriving in Oban at 2300.

This event caused quite a stir among locals and the crew of 'Mariner had to answer a few queries their sense of direction.  But sure enough 'Mariner had found the right port for her valuable cargo which was offloaded at the ro-ro ramp in Oban for onward transport to the quarry by the landing-type craft Rose of Lorne.  

With cargo delivered, European Mariner set sail from Oban at 0010 on the 12/12 and arrived back in Larne at 0915 berthing at Curran Quay.  She was back on her bread and butter run to Troon for P&O that evening with her regular 1900 sailing ex Larne.

Coaster Call

10th December 2007

Coaster Doris T made her second visit of the year at Larne when she made a call at the port on the 10/12/07.  The vessel brought in a part cargo of silver sand from Lochaline for local receivers.  Tidal conditions at the port meant the vessel had to anchor when she arrived at 0530, only passing in to berth just after high water at 1130.  

Discharge started straight away but was thwarted just before 1700 when the grab crane doing the work broke a drive chain.  The breakdown trapped the grab in the hold of the vessel and this had to be removed by mobile crane to allow the vessel to close her hatches and sail.  She finally got away at 2035 bound once more to Lochaline to load another silver sand cargo this time to Runcorn.

Maria McLoughlin assisted inward and outward movements of the coaster working as pilot boat.

Bad Weather Delays

26th November 2007

Stena's Larne - Fleetwood route suffered some delay and cancellation over the 24th to 26th November 2007 when bad weather and tidal conditions at the port conspired together to cause some late running.

Worst affected was Stena Leader which was delayed considerably when she delayed her berthing at Fleetwood on arrival at the port at 0720 on Saturday the 24/11/07.  She went for a short sail off on a south westerly direction and berthed on the ebb tide at approx 1230.  She reloaded and left again for Larne at 1915 berthing at Curran Quay on arrival the following morning at 0330.  

Stena Seafarer was also experiencing slight delays of only an hour or two but she sailed in place of Stena Leader on the evening of the 24/11/07 at 2215.  By the time she got back to Larne the following day at 1900 she was withdrawn from service for one round trip to allow her to pick up her normal sailing diagram with the 1600 ex Larne on the 26/11/07.

Stena Leader returned to schedule with a 2300 ex Larne sailing on the evening of the 25/11/07 after spending most of that day laid up on Curran Quay undergoing maintenance work.

18th November 2007

European Mariner carried out a wind turbine charter voyage to Campbeltown on the 17/11/07.  She left Larne at 1015 bound for Campbeltown after discharging cargo from her inward Troon voyage.  She loaded wind turbine towers at the Kintyre port and returned with them to Larne, berthing on Chaine Quay at 1800.  

The following morning, the 18/11/07, European Mariner shifted to her normal berth on Curran Quay at 0800 after it was vacated by Stena Pioneer, which was off service for the weekend doing maintenance.  The Troon freighter then discharged the towers at Curran Quay for onward shipment by road and returned to her normal service sailing at 1845 to Troon that evening. 

This trip is her final planned wind turbine charter sailing for 2007.

Granuaile 3 Tending Buoys

18th November 2007

Irish Light's buoy tender Granuaile 3 spent two periods recently off Larne working at the navigational marks in area.  First she spent a 3 day spell in the area beginning on the 8/11/07 when she arrived from Belfast at around 1630.  She proceeded well to the north of the port but was back the following afternoon and on the 10/11/07 spent some time at the Maidens before heading south.  She returned to the Larne area again from that direction the following weekend, arriving up to anchor 1 mile north of the harbour limits at Larne around 1930 on the 17th and spent most of the following day working at the Hunter Rock cardinal buoys.  She moved off to Belfast with work completed about 1700 that evening.

11th November 2007

Stena Pioneer ran aground on the afternoon of Sunday 11/11/07 around 1430 on her approach to Fleetwood after a routine sailing with freight from Larne.  The vessel left Larne earlier that morning at 0700 after spending the previous day laid up out of service for a planned maintenance lay over.  Near the conclusion of the sailing, which had departed Larne early to get into Fleetwood before low tide, the ship grounded and on a dropping tide the 'Pioneer was stranded on the soft mud of the Wyre estuary.  

The ship was able to free herself on the rising tide later that evening at 2130 and spent a few hours out at anchor allowing Stena Seafarer and Stena Leader to continue in service to the single ro-ro berth at Fleetwood.  With no immediately apparent damage from her grounding, the Stena Pioneer came in to Fleetwood on the afternoon of the 12/11/07 and loaded back cargo to Larne departing at 2100.  On the morning of the 13/11/07 while alongside at Larne she was given an underwater survey by divers after which it was confirmed that there was no serious damage to the vessel.  

At the completion of the dive survey the Stena Pioneer left Larne for a few hours to let Stena Seafarer use the berth.  The Seafarer stepped up the roster and continued on the morning slot ex Larne for the remainder of the week while the Stena Pioneer shifted to the 1600 sailing ex Larne normally taken by the Stena Seafarer.  Both ships switched back to their normal rosters over the weekend 17-18th November.

Initial reports indicate that recent dredging work at Fleetwood has undermined the main navigation channel banks causing them to slide in to the channel proper and it is believed the 'Pioneer grounded on one of these underwater 'cave ins.'

Salt Survey Work

26th October 2007

Multicat work boat Sergeant Pepper is to become a regular sight in the waters of Larne Lough over the next several weeks.  Operated by McMullan Marine Services of Red Bay, the work boat is in the area carrying out survey work on underground salt deposits many metres below the lough floor.  

Sergeant Pepper has been in Larne a few times previously, most notably she was chartered by P&O to assist with afloat survey wok at European Highlander over the Easter period 2006.

22nd October 2007

Coastal cargo ship Alexandra S made a call at Larne Harbour with a cargo of dolomite from Norway for local receivers in Glenarm.  The vessel arrived in from Ballangen, Norway at 0515 on Friday the 19/10/07 and most of her cargo was discharged that day using a mobile grab crane.  Completion of discharge resumed on Monday the 22/10/07 and once complete the vessel set sail for Bergen at 1645.

22nd October 2007

Major redevelopment plans at the Port of Cairnryan have been scrapped permanently.  Announced in May 2003, the redevelopment would have seen P&O and Stena Line become partners in a new joint venture port at Cairnryan.  In the deal, the existing P&O Cairnryan terminal would have been enlarged with reclamation works extending the port area to over double its current size to accommodate Stena Line's service to Belfast which would have relocated from Stranraer in addition to P&O's ferry service to Larne.

Mired up in a public enquiry, the commencement of construction work at Cairnryan was met with delay after delay.  Even after the Scottish Executive gave the go ahead for work to begin by awarding the joint venture port company a harbour empowerment order in spring of 2007 commencement of the construction phase of the project still failed to begin.  Finally, because of cost over runs, both Stena and P&O have announced their intention to terminate the joint venture port company and their enlarged harbour plans at Cairnryan seem likely to never become reality.

Quite what happens next for each company is difficult to see but both have reinforced their intention to retain their services at a level consistent with their current timetables and continue to commit to their separate Loch Ryan operations.

Seafarer at Stranraer

15th October 2007

Stena Seafarer spent another weekend providing temporary relief cover on the Belfast - Stranraer route in place of HSS vessel Stena Voyager which was taking some time off service for planned maintenance.

Stena Seafarer commenced working on the Stranraer route on Saturday 13/10/07,taking a 1900 sailing from Belfast, this was in place of Stena Caledonia and allowed the passenger vessel take over the 2200 from Belfast.  This ran in place of Stena Voyager, which commenced her maintenance period in Belfast after arriving at 2140 with the 1950 ex Stranraer.

Stena Seafarer worked alongside Stena Caledonia until Monday morning, the 15/10/07.  She stood down after arriving in Belfast with the 0100 sailing ex Stranraer and left Belfast to return to Larne at 0730  She returned to service on the Fleetwood route with the 1600 ex Larne.  Her usual timetabled 1600 return voyage from Larne on Sunday 14/10/07 was cancelled while she was on the Stranraer route.

7th October 2007

European Mariner undertook a charter sailing on the 6/10/07 from Campbeltown to Troon with wind turbine parts.

The ship left Larne for Campbeltown at 1000 on the 6/10/07 after discharging freight from her inbound Troon sailing, arriving to pick up the turbine towers at around 1230. With her cargo safely aboard the 'Mariner then headed to Troon at 1500 to discharge the towers and she spent the night laid up at the Scottish port prior to returning to Larne the next day to pick up her usual freight sailings with the 1900 to Troon on the 7/10/07. 

Express Completes Service for the Winter

4th October 2007

Fast craft Express completed her North Channel schedules for 2007 on the 1/10/07, with her final commercial trip of the summer season being the 2020 service from Troon.

The craft spent the next few days alongside at Larne getting prepared for her winter lay up, which included some time on the 2/10/07 on Curran Quay to enable access by crane to remove some of her liferafts for their annual service.  

With essential stores and equipment required for her winter maintenance period loaded aboard Express departed Larne for Belfast at 0845 on the 4/10/07.  She arrived later that morning in Belfast and was secure at her winter lay up berth alongside Donegall Quay at about 1145.  Express will spend the winter laid up at Belfast and is due to leave early in 2008 for drydocking prior to another summer season based in Larne.  

Her 2007 season proved to be a success with passenger and car figures using the fast craft services from Larne reported to be up on 2006.  A new fluid pricing structure introduced by P&O for 2007 made their prices much more competitive than was previously the case and helped lead their charge in reclaiming traffic lost from the ferries to low cost airlines.  

Craft reliability was also excellent this year with cancellations predominantly due to weather reasons.  The ship did struggle for speed at times particularly when large loadings extended turn round times the ship was generally unable to catch up any of the time lost whilst on passage.  This was particularly noticeable around the time she went on charter sailing through the night to the Isle of Man for the TT festival period in late May/early June.