A lifeline service to islanders: the importance of the Rathlin Island Ferry

Michael Cecil, chair of RDCA, said: “It’s our only real means of transport onto and off the island for everything involved in life – hence the term lifeline service.

“There are a couple of private boats we can charter, but it depends if they’re available and if you can afford it.”

Northern Ireland’s only off-shore inhabited island is served by two boats – a roll on, roll off ferry for goods, vehicles and passengers, and a ferry for passengers only. Only the smaller passenger ferry has been running for the past few weeks due to industrial action.

On the same day that the Department for Infrastructure has announced the Rathlin Island Ferry Ltd was to cease trading with immediate effect, Dunaverty Limited were unveiled as the new ferry operator on the Rathlin Island to Ballycastle route.

Michael said: “The loss of the ferry service impacts everybody across the board – whether they’re travelling for hospital appointments, children going to school, there are teachers also on the island who travel over to the mainland, anybody travelling back and forward to work – all of that is lost,

“It was a very uncertain time, the previous ferry company was having difficulties for quite a few months. They weren’t able to resolve it and that service ended quite abruptly.

“I worked for them, I was a skipper on one of ferries. We got notified in the morning by text message more or less at the same time as the public that the company was ceasing trading.”

He added: "Our local MLAs and councillors have been extremely supportive in fighting our cause, I’d like to express appreciation for that.”

The passenger-only vessel, which does five return sailings a day, was due to start today, but the morning sailing was cancelled due to unsuitable weather.

Once all the relevant approvals are in place, a full timetable of sailings will begin including the department’s vehicle carrying vessel – the Spirit of Rathlin.

Kate Burns, who manages Islander Kelp, said it has been a challenging few weeks for islanders.

She said: “Only the passenger ferry has been running and you can’t take petrol in it so anyone whose car runs on petrol on the island will not have had fuel for two weeks.

“Animal feeds haven’t been coming onto the island, things like kegs for the bar, you couldn’t hand lift those onto a passenger boat.

"For the business we’d be taking a tonne at a time out in a van, but that can’t happen without the roll on, roll off ferry. Some of the goods for the shop can be carried onto the passenger ferry.

"The very last day of the operation was Wednesday past. The last day before that was the Friday before. By Wednesday the island was out of a lot of essential foods.

“It’s certainly been a challenge in recent weeks.”

Asked how long the island would have to go without a ferry before emergency action was taken Kate said: “There is a long standing arrangement after it goes over five days that emergency supplies could be brought in by helicopter. That’s happened in the past.”