Relief As Stranded HSS Passengers Get Home

After more than 24 hours on board the HSS ferry just yards off its berth in Scotland, passengers returning to Belfast have spoken of their relief to be back on dry land.

Almost 200 travellers and crew were marooned in Stranraer on Wednesday night after a 40-foot freight tanker in the hold burst free of its tethering, slammed through the rear doors and was left hanging from the rear of the vessel.

An operation was only completed last night to evacuate the last of those on board, with the HSS out of service for many days to come, pending repairs.

Speaking to the Belfast News Letter last night, Gordon Wilson from Castlederg, who was stuck on the vessel, said: "It was like a ridiculous floating refugee camp."

It all started when the scheduled 7.50pm Stranraer to Belfast service was plunged into chaos when the articulated lorry smashed out the back of the ship - five nautical miles into its journey - tearing a huge hole in the stern.

Everyone aboard escaped uninjured, but fear gripped passengers as the ship shook and echoed with a massive bang.

Once back in Stranraer, the 156 passengers and 33 crew members were unable to disembark because the ferry could not berth with the stricken lorry blocking the way.

Ironically, the huge fast ferry was only back in service on Monday after a £1 million refit and has now been badly damaged, although the hole in the stern was 30ft above water level.

Yesterday, a 400-tonne mobile crane was drafted in to lift the lorry free and allow the ferry fully into the harbour.

The only evacuation carried out during the course of the day was a tragic one, with the body of a baby boy being brought back to Northern Ireland in time for his funeral yesterday, being removed by specialised staff.

Then, in the early hours of today, the remaining passengers were bussed to a local hotel or offered passage on a P&O Ferry from Cairnryan during the night.

This morning, just five cars remain on board, and all passengers are finally freed from their watery custody.

Nigel Tilson, a former leading business journalist, and now the Stena PR representative, said this morning that the vessel was finally able to make a proper berth around 12.30 last night to finally disembark those passengers who hadn't already been lifted off on a fire service hydraulic platform commissioned by the company yesterday to begin a slow evacuation.

He apologised for the inconvenience, but insisted that, as passenger safety was the main concern, there was no alternative but to wait for the ferry to fully dock to allow them off.

(BMcC/JM)