Aran ferry resumes sailings after suspension

A Co Clare ferry operator has resumed ferrying passengers to the Aran Islands after having its two ferries grounded on Tuesday by the Department of the Marine.

The Department yesterday gave Aran Islands Fast Ferries Ltd the go-ahead for the Saint Sornay to resume operations after surveying the craft, which had undergone repairs.

However, Aran Islands Fast Ferries' second vessel, which was grounded on Tuesday, remained confined to port. This follows a Garda spokesman confirming that it is investigating a complaint from the Department that the Garnish Glory was operating without a licence out of Doolin. "We would like to have the investigation complete as soon as possible," the spokesman said. "We will be interviewing Department officials and the ferry operator."

The decision by the Department to ground the two ferries on Tuesday left about 60 passengers temporarily stranded on the islands.

A Department of the Marine spokesman confirmed it had referred the matter of the unlicensed boat to the Garda. He said: "It should not have been operating and the Department views it as a very serious matter." He said the Department stood by its decision to ground the ferries. "Safety is our paramount concern. We are not in the practice of playing with people's lives."

With the Saint Sornay resuming sailings yesterday, Mr Dick Grant of Aran Islands Fast Ferries said the move to ground the two craft by the Department had "caused maximum damage" to the company's operations.

"I was forced to strand people on the islands and that is the worst kind of publicity for a new operation," Mr Grant said.

The 60 tourists were eventually picked up by two other ferry operators employed by Mr Grant with the last passengers making it back to the mainland at 9 p.m. on Tuesday.

Mr Grant said: "The fact that the Department gave the Saint Sornay the go-ahead to recommence today shows that there was no need to ground it in the first place."

Last month, Mr Grant started ferry services from Doolin in competition with Doolin Ferries Ltd. In response to the rising tensions between the two companies, a Garda presence was mounted at the harbour after Doolin Tourism received complaints from tourists about the hostile environment at quayside.

A Garda presence was evident at the harbour yesterday.

In response to the claim from the Department that the Garnish Glory was unlicensed, Mr Grant said that it did not require a licence as it had been chartered by a group of Polish tourists. He he expected the boat, currently at Rossaveale in Co Galway, to secure a passenger licence in the next number of days.

Mr Grant said he had "a very good case" if gardaí proceeded with a prosecution in relation to the Garnish Glory.

The director of Doolin Ferries Ltd, Mr Bill O'Brien, yesterday welcomed the Department's intervention. He said: "Public safety is an important issue here in Doolin and we have built up a good record over a 30-year period with the highest standard. No one operates a boat without a licence and I hope that it will not be allowed to happen again."