Coaster Traffic at Larne
As has been said on Larne Ferry Web a few
times now, the port of Larne is probably best known for its ferries but in days
gone by the port boasted a considerable coaster trade in addition to all its
ferry traffic. I'm far from an expert in the coastal cargo scene (the
meagre crumbs of my knowledge extends to ro-ro only) but hopefully the following few
paragraphs will give a flavour of the non-ferry traffic that has
used Larne in the past. I'll leave the filling in of the detail to the
more knowledgeable among you.
Containers and dry bulk at Larne
Before the take over of Atlantic Steam Navigation Company
by Townsend Thoresen in 1971 Larne boasted regular lift on lift off (lo-lo)
service by the ASN to Preston, Anglo-Continental Container Line to Ardrossan and
Coast Lines to Liverpool. Several round voyages per week were the
norm with the Castle, Phoenix and Olderfleet Quays being used as container
berths. Lift on containers were continued when the Preston service was
transferred to Cairnryan in 1973 but that gradually petered out in favour of
ro-ro traffic. The container cranes at the harbour have been removed with
the last one at Castle Quay being dismantled in 2002.
Coal used to be a major part of Larne's
business with the current site of Chaine Quay having two coal berths - the North
End and the Middle Berth. This traffic was transferred to the Bank Quay
when a new terminal was built for the Stranraer ferries on the adjacent mail
berth. The coal berths were transformed in 1978 to become Chaine Quay
complete with a double decked ro-ro ramp - the first of its kind in Ireland.
Other cargo shifted by coasters via Larne
included steel, fertiliser and rock armour for coastal sea defences. Nowadays
only Olderfleet Quay is used for occasional coastal cargo ship visits with the
majority of coaster calls now bringing in stone chippings and silver sand for local industry.
Magheramorne
Magheramorne is a small village about 5 miles south of
Larne on the western shore of Larne Lough. It is unremarkable except
that Blue Circle Cement Company had a quarry here. Coasters came and went
to their tidal berth at a steady rate importing and exporting various cargoes
for the cement works. After the quarry was worked out
the kilns continued the production of cement well into the 1990's. After
this date Blue Circle's Cookstown plant continued but Magheramorne was still
used as their contact with the shipping. The berth closed to traffic in
January 2002
with the last arrival being the coaster Lucky with stone chippings.
The buoys marking the channel were later removed in August 2004.
Traffic has long been a mainstay of the Ben-boats sailing for Ramsey Steamship
Company but has now been transferred to Belfast.
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Early view of Magheramorne pier.
The Larne - Belfast railway line is built along the stone embankment on
the shore line to the right. Blue Circle Cement built their terminal
where the buildings in the foreground stand.
Photo: Dougie McIntyre collection |
Ramsey Steamship Company cargo vessel
Ben Maye at Blue Circle's pier at Magheramorne on 20/1/01
discharging bulk cement using powder suction equipment.
Photo: Aubrey Dale (click to enlarge) |
Ballylumford
The site at Ballylumford on Islandmagee has hosted 3 power
stations. The first
station, designated Ballylumford 'A,' was coal burning and opened in 1945.
A coal quay was built at the shores of Larne Lough for coal
imports to the new station. A second oil burning station was later built and its regular fuel
supply was met by tankers arriving at a new oil jetty capable of handling tankers of around 20000
tonnes dwt. The station was
converted to gas in the late 1990's after an underwater supply pipeline was
built between Northern Ireland and Scotland. This subsequently resulted in tanker arrivals
dropping from an average of 1 a month to one or two a year, as only a back up oil supply
was
maintained at the station in case of any interruption of the gas supply.
This 'B' station was supplemented and will eventually be replaced by a new
Combined Cycle Gas Turbine station which was commissioned in 2003 and built on
the site of the old 'A' station alongside the 'B' station.
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| Looking over Larne harbour's coal quays and mail
berth with Princess Margaret alongside. This view looks south
east towards the coal berth at Ballylumford A station. Photo: Dougie
McIntyre Collection |
Noda Star berthed at the B
station oil jetty on 14th January 2003.
Photo: John Marcus (click to enlarge) |
Prior to the Islandmagee site a power station existed on
the Larne side of the Lough at Curran Point and a concrete jetty complete with rail lines
on it still exists at this location.
Bank Quays
The Bank Quay situated on the tidal
western shore of Larne Lough has been closed since 1995 but in
days gone by regular coal imports were shipped in through the Bank Quay along
with other dry bulk cargoes such as china clay. It has been under the
ownership of various fuel importers through the years and was a regular calling
point for the Kelly collier fleet.
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| Collier Ballykelly manoeuvring at the Bank
Quay assisted by Sarah McLoughlin. Photo: John McLoughlin
Collection (click to enlarge) |
Eurolord sits under the
swan neck cranes at the Bank Quay.
Photo: Dougie McIntyre (click to enlarge) |
Updated:
22/11/05
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