The string of bad luck which has plagued attempts to load two former Aran Island passenger ferries looks to finally be at an end with one successful lift completed and the second to take place today.
Passenger ferries, Clann Na nOileann and the Clan Eagle 1, have been attracting considerable attention after several attempts to lift them on board the 7,000 tonne Dutch registered cargo ship, the Thor Gitta, had been hampered and delayed by a number of difficulties with the process being described as ‘jinxed’. Now that tag may also be finally lifted as it is expected that both ferries will be safely secured on board the Thor Gitta for transport to Mauritius, and the cargo ship could be given the go-ahead to set sail this evening.
Speaking to the Advertiser late yesterday afternoon, harbour master captain Brian Sheridan, confirmed that the lifting of the first ferry, the Clann Na nOileann, began yesterday at 7.30am and by 4pm crew members were busy “lashing” or tying down the ferry to ensure that it is safe for sea passage. Mr Sheridan confirmed that the lifting of the Clan Eagle 1 was to begin at 7am today (Thursday ) and that “hopefully, all going well, by lunch time it will be on the deck [of the Thor Gitta] and the crew will commence lashing which will take a number of hours”. He added: “On that basis, the Thor Gitta has been provisionally booked for the pilot to sail the ship at 21.00 hours.”
Regarding the complications surrounding the lifting of the two ferries over the past few weeks Mr Sheridan said it had had a major impact on the harbour in terms of the logistics of vessel movement which “put another layer of work on everybody”.
“All the difficulties seems to have happened on a Thursday, the ship is due to provisionally set sail on Holy Thursday so hopefully there will be some divine intervention,” he said.
However, on a brighter note, he said that the whole process has attracted the fascination of Galwegians who have flocked to the harbour area to watch what has been dubbed ‘The Big Lift’ and there has also been a financial gain for the port company as well as the local economy.
“The harbour is unique in that it is right in the centre of the city and this situation has generated much fascination amongst Galwegians. Last Saturday there were 1,000 people here with their cameras.
I had calls from people I didn’t even know asking when they could bring their children down to watch the historic lifting,” said Mr Sheridan who added that there has been a great spin-off because of the drama as divers and surveyors have been employed, and other local businesses have been busy providing the boats with supplies and services.
The Thor Gitta was prevented from leaving the harbour after it was placed under arrest last Thursday. The order detaining the ship was made by the Admiralty Court and plans to transport the two ferries were suspended. The order was lifted last Saturday afternoon and an attempt was made to lift the Clan Eagle 1 onto the deck of the cargo ship but was suspended after an alarm sounded on one of the ship’s 60 metre high cranes. A decision was then made not to attempt the lifting again until stronger lifting slings were found.
The ‘jinxed’ nature of this operation started to become more apparent after three men were hospitalised when one of the ferries plunged 12 metres from a sling and into the water of the docks below. The incident occurred last Thursday week (April 7 ) after a cable snapped on one of the cargo ship’s cranes.
This occurred a week after the first failed attempt to transport the ferries to Mauritius when the German registered freighter, the Pantanal, ran aground at Cashla Bay and sustained extensive damage to her haul. It was not until last Saturday at 3pm that the Pantanal left Galway and she was due to arrive at Bremerhaven port in Germany at 8pm last night.
