A passenger ferry and the cargo vessel Union Moon have collided in Belfast Lough, a large, natural intertidal sea lough (loch) at the mouth of the River Lagan on the east coast of Northern Ireland.
The collision took place on 7 March, close to the Fairway buoy about a mile and a half from shore between Carrickfergus and Helen’s Bay. No one was injured. The ferry was on its way from Birkenhead, Merseyside, to Belfast when the collision happened.
The Coxswain of Donaghadee Lifeboat, Philip McNamara, said the Union Moon was badly damaged. “A large section of her bow was missing and we just stood beside her with a salvage pump ready to go aboard if required,” he said.
“It was just — get the lifeboat up as quickly as possible, have the salvage pump ready and prepare to evacuate anybody that had to come off. We were concentrating on how to deal with the situation.”
The passenger ferry later docked at the Stena terminal. The Union Moon was brought back to Belfast.
It has emerged that the captain of the Union Moon was over the alcohol limit while being in charge of his ship.
Miroslaw Pozniak, 55, from Poland appeared in court in Bangor on 9 March. He was charged with excess alcohol by the master of a ship. Through his lawyer, Pozniak pleaded guilty to the charge and was remanded in custody.
Pozniak appeared in court wearing his captain's uniform and confirmed through an interpreter that he understood the offences. The court heard that his captain's record was clear and that he had been fully cooperative with the police during questioning.
His ship has been impounded and its cargo will be taken off.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch and the police are all investigating.