SeaCat

Infobox Defunct company
company_name = SeaCat Scotland Ferries
company_
slogan =
company_type = Limited Company
fate = services withdrawn
Predecessor =
successor =
foundation = 1991
defunct = 2005 [Last sailing 1 November 2004, announcement of closure 6 February 2005]
location = Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
industry = Ship transport
products =
key_people =
num_employees =
parent = Sea Containers Ltd
subsid =

SeaCat was the marketing name used by Sea Containers Ltd for ferry services between Northern Ireland and Scotland between 1992 and 2004. The company was headquartered in Belfast. The name originates from the use of high speed catamaran ferries.

History

SeaCat announced that they would open a service from Belfast to Stranraer in Scotland. The route would take just over an hour, berth to berth. In May 1992 the service opened using "SeaCat Scotland" a fast 74metre Incat craft built in the same year.

Services to Stranraer ran smoothly until Stena Line announced in November 1995 they would move to Belfast from Larne and operate to Stranraer. In 1999 SeaCat was feeling the pinch of the growing success of the Stena HSS and began a daily service to Troon alongside the Stranraer service. Dumfries & Galloway requested that SeaCat dropped the Troon link in favour of Stranraer or else SeaCat would have to leave Stranraer by 2000. So SeaCat left Stranraer forever on 13 March 2000 however there was an Agreement in place that SeaCat could use the port in the "event of an operational need".

In 2003 P&O Irish Sea began to serve Troon on a seasonal basis - which very shortly, SeaCat would go head to head with P&O. Unfortunatley SeaCat incurred losses and by December 2003 the service switched to a seasonal service. The 2004 seasons started on 12th March ending on Monday 1 November 2004 with the 15:45 ex Belfast and 19:30 ex Troon.

In January 2005 SeaCat announced they were to 'review the service' and a 'definitive' decision would be made within 30 days. On February 7 2005, SeaCat closed their 12 year old service.

eaCat Scotland

"SeaCat Scotland" was the sole ferry the Company used between 1992-2002. She was chartered in 1995 and renamed Q-Ship Express for a month, reverting back to "SeaCat Scotland" at the conclusion of her charter in December 1995. On 31 October 2002 "SeaCat Scotland" left the port of Troon for the final time and was laid-up at Belfast and overhauled. She arrived at Liverpool at around 15:00 hrs on 28 November 2002.

eaCat Rapide

"SeaCat Rapide" or "Rapide" was used by SeaCat in 2001 for Manx services, including Liverpool to Dublin service. (Liverpool to Dublin was also closed in November 2004). In 2002 SeaCat used her on the Belfast to Heysham service, which stopped on Wednesday 21 August 2002 when the "Rapide" had an engine fire on the 0700 service to Heysham.In 2003 and 2004 she was used on the Belfast to Troon route (Seacat Scotland operated Dover-Calais). Rapide was the final craft Seacat used on their Troon route. Rapide left Toon for the final time with the 1930hrs service ex Troon on Monday 1st November 2004. She left Belfast for the final time at 16:20 on the 8th Nov 2004 bound for Sunderland to be laid up with "Seacat Scotland", "Emeraude France" and "Diamant"

Terminals

Belfast

The Belfast terminal was constructed at in the 1980s and originally had two passenger walkways; however one was removed in 1996. The terminal is still owned by Sea Containers and is used thrice weekly by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company's "HSC Snaefell", itself an ex-SeaCat vessel.

tranraer

The Stranraer Terminal was constructed in 1991 and had one passenger walkway. The Terminal was used up until April 2000 when services moved to Troon. The terminal building was demolished soon after vacation of the Harbour, the walkway persisiting until 2005.

Troon

The terminal building was a portable building and was used up until 2004. There was never a passenger walkway. Demolished April 2008, being redeveloped into Cargo berth

Fleet

* "SeaCat Danmark" (1997-1999); now operates in the Adriatic Sea as "Pescara Jet"
* "SeaCat Scotland" (1992-1994, 1996-2002); now operates in the Middle East as "Al Huda 1"
* "SeaCat Isle of Man" (2002-2003); operates between Belfast and the Isle of Man as HSC "Snaefell"
* "Hoverspeed Great Britain" (2001); now operates in the Aegean Sea as "Speedrunner 1"
* "SeaCat Rapide" (2002-2004); now operates in the Strait of Gibraltar as "Jaume II"
* "SuperSeaCat Two" (2000); now operates for the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company as HSC "Viking.
* "SuperSeaCat Three" (1999-2003); now operates for SuperSeaCat between Helsinki and Tallinn.

References

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/671635.stm (Closure of Stranraer service)http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4243655.stm (Closure of Troon service)

ee also

*High-speed Sea Service (HSS), non-Incat designed fast catamaran, also operated across the Irish Sea.