Video: Stena Line ferry stuck in the Irish Sea for hours amid heavy waves and fierce winds from Storm Isha

The ferry, a Stena Line vessel called Estrid, had set off from Liverpool to Belfast yesterday morning.

The sailing is meant to take roughly eight hours.

But after setting out from port at 10.30am yesterday, it arrived at the mouth of Belfast Lough – very roughly between the points of Whitehead in east Antrim and Groomsport in north Down – at 5.30pm, and proceeded no further.

It then circled around several times, before docking at about 4.30am.

The vessel is on its way eastwards again across the Irish Sea at time of writing.

More here:

• Storm Isha was one notch away from 'hurricane force' conditions in the Irish Sea – with little respite before Storm Jocelyn sweeps across the region

• Storm Isha: Full list of the most extreme wind speeds recorded in Northern Ireland during its heaviest phase

• What are your rights if you have a cancelled flight? Scores of takeoffs and landings are cancelled at Belfast airports

Stena Line told the News Letter in a statement: “Due to adverse weather conditions caused by Storm Isha, Stena Estrid was delayed in its usual arrival time in Belfast last night.

"The team onboard closely monitored the weather and once it was safe to berth, the vessel arrived at the terminal at 04:35hrs.

"As a result, last night’s 22:30 departure of Stena Estrid to Liverpool was delayed until 08:05hrs this morning.”