Around 70 passengers were today relieved to have got off a ferry to Belfast after being stuck on it for 24 hours.
Lorry drivers and people returning from holiday disembarked the Lagan Vikingin Belfast docks which had left Birkenhead near Liverpool yesterday at 2.20pm.
Engineers from Belfast's Harland & Wolff shipyard managed to cut open a door which refused to open last night when the Norse Merchant-owned ferry arrived at around 10.30pm.
Some passengers left the boat at around 2.40pm today in a minibus and insisted they were in good spirits despite being stranded in Belfast dock.
Mr Alex Burrowes from Glengormley who was towing a caravan paid tribute to the ferry crew.
"The staff were absolutely brilliant," he said. "They couldn't have done better. We were allowed to have cabins and they fed us two or three times.
"Some of the (lorry) drivers were a bit upset but most of the passengers just made the best of it."
Mr Burrowes said some the anger of lorry drivers was understandable as they were losing money.
Earlier a company spokesman explained that one of seven locking bars on the door of the vessel had failed to disengage and had forced around 53 passengers and 20 crew to remain inside.
"Passengers have been remarkably calm and composed and in good spirits," the spokesman said.
A lorry driver was philosophical as he drove out of the Norse Merchant ferry terminal.
"They fed us and gave us accommodation," he said. "I think my load is okay.
"It's a wee bit late but it will be okay. It's the weekend and the lorry drivers feel the same.
"This just means that our weekend will be a wee bit longer."
PA