Crossing Strangford lough in style

The Strangford Lough Ferry Service, running between Strangford and Portaferry in Co. Down provides an important sea bridge for commuters and HGV operators alike. John Loughran reports.

The impressive Strangford Lough Ferry Service

The villages of Portaferry and Strangford face each other across the narrow entry to Strangford Lough. They are joined by a ro / ro ferry service, which takes just seven minutes to cross the sometimes vicious tidal flows through the channel.
The channel, which connects the Irish Sea and Strangford Lough is five miles long and half a mile wide. The rush of the tide through the channel is so strong that the Norsemen called the place Strang Fiord. For close on 400 years mariners have negotiated the half-mile crossing in all makes and shapes of vessel.

Although it is a short crossing very few sailings follow exactly the same course due to the strong tidal flow. When the tide is running at its strongest, the ferry must plot a course along the tidal flow, rather than taking the direct route straight across it.
Down County Council ran the Strangford Lough Ferry Service from 1970 to 1981 when Northern Ireland’s Department of Regional Development (Roads Service) took over responsibility. Its first vessel the MV Strangford was ordered from the Verlome Shipyard in Cork and was launched on 6 September 1969.

A ro/ro ferry has operated since 1970

The first superintendent was George McDonald, a man who had spent his whole life on the ferry between Strangford and Portaferry. In 1974, another vessel, the MV Portaferry was bought from a company in Wales and modified by Harland and Wolff of Belfast.
This ferry acted as standby for whenever the main ferry was out of service for annual maintenance. Another smaller passenger-only ferry, the "Isle O'Valla" was bought at about this time to cover for when neither vessel was operating. The MV Portaferry was replaced in late 2001 by the MV Portaferry II, and sold to Tuskar Shipping in Waterford.
The £2.7 million MV Portaferry II was officially handed over to the Roads Service on Tuesday 23 October 2001 by shipbuilders McTay Marine of Merseyside. This purpose-built craft successfully completed final trials in Strangford Lough and after crew training came into service at 15:00 on Tuesday 18 December 2001.

Down through the years the ferry service has become an integral part of daily life in the hinterland of the Ards Peninsula. From 7.30am to 11.00pm 364 days a year, the MV Portaferry 11, carries cars, commercial vehicles and foot passengers alike back and forth between the villages of Portaferry and Strangford.
The MV Strangford, which serviced the route on a fulltime basis from 1970 until 2002, adds additional capacity during peak periods.
“The crossing takes seven minutes, when it takes an hour and a half by road. It cuts 50 miles off the trip by road,” ferry manager Derek Pedlow revealed.

The sailing schedule commences at 7.30am each morning from Strangford. The first sailing from Portaferry leaves at 7.45am. “The longest you would have to wait to catch a ferry going in either direction is 30 minutes. The turn around time is extremely quick with loading and unloading taking less than three minutes,” he confirmed.
The ferry service’s customer base is drawn predominantly from the communities living on either side of the Lough. “The ferry service provides a vital link for the school children. Indeed the education system has grown up around the ferry service. Upwards on 120 school children use the service daily.”

“We would also have a lot of commuters from the Portaferry side making their way to and from work every day,” he added.
The service also receives considerable support from the haulage industry. “We would carry about 6,000 HGVs per annum, which equates to about 120 vehicles a week. We carry lorries hauling fish, timber, steel, building products etc. We would also carry local delivery trucks and delivery vans. We would also carry a great deal of agricultural and construction equipment,” Derek noted.
The ferry service has become a particularly attractive proposition for commercial users since the Portaferry II came into service three years ago. Derek elaborated: “Commercial usage has increased considerably because the Portaferry II is better equipped to deal with trucks and buses in terms of size and loading / unloading.”

A single crossing for vehicles up to six metres costs £5.30. Vehicles between six and eight metres are charged £9.20. For every additional two metres there is a charge of £4.
Frequent users can make considerable savings by buying books of tickets in advance. “The discounted books of tickets are also available to our commercial customers and are very popular with frequent users,” he added.
There is no need to pre-book the ferry because of its very quick turnaround times. With services running every half-hour motorists never have long to wait to catch the next ferry.

Over the years Strangford Lough Ferry Service has built a proud reputation as a quality service provider. To that end traffic on the crossing has increased at a steady rate down through the years. Word of mouth has been its best marketing tool, which speaks volumes for the whole operation.
“Our customer charter states that we will operate a vessel 99 per cent of the scheduled time. We are currently operating at 99.98 per cent. That equates to about two hours down time in the year,” Derek explained.

“We are renowned for our reliability. Our service is there 16 hours a day. 364 days a year in all types of weather,” he added.
For most of the year the MV Portaferry II, can more than accommodate the route’s bread and butter customers. The 36 metre long ferry, which is powered by two Cummins QSK 19 M 750 hp engines, can carry the equivalent of 28 cars, across four lanes
The propulsion system is German manufactured by a company called Voith Schneider. “This system was chosen because of the severe currents in the Lough. It also gives the vessel unique manoeuvrability,” Derek added.
Its predecessor on the route, the MV Strangford is held in reserve to deal with capacity issues that arise during the year. With the first signs of summer volumes on the route increase considerably.

In that light the beautiful Ards peninsula is a haven for tourists in the summer months. “The summer season would be our busiest time. To complement the MV Portaferry II, we run the MV Strangford on Sundays from mid May to mid September and Saturday and Sunday in July and August. It would also run on Bank Holidays,” Derek confirmed.
Strangford Lough Ferry Service employs a fulltime staff of 20 people