A NEW operator for the Rathlin Island ferry has been secured amid "huge relief" after the company previously running the service ceased trading.
The Department for Infrastructure (DfI) announced yesterday that a new firm will run the route between Rathlin and Ballycastle hours after revealing the previous operator, Rathlin Island Ferry Ltd (RIFL), had ceased trading with immediate effect after its last afternoon sailing.
The announcement came amid ongoing industrial action by ferry staff over pay.
News of RIFL pulling out of the service sparked fears islanders and ferry staff would face "significant disruption", while calls were made by North Antrim MLAs for the DfI to "act quickly" to ensure sailings to and from Rathlin continue.
A department spokesperson said it was working on a contingency plan "urgently", and yesterday evening it was confirmed a new operator would take over, prompting relief in the Antrim coast and Rathlin areas.
The DfI said the passenger-only service would be run by Dunaverty Limited, with five daily return sailings beginning on Friday, with weather permitting.
They added that a full service including the vehicle-carrying vessel, the Spirit of Rathlin, would commence "once all the relevant approvals are in place with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency".
"Recognising the importance of the ferry service for the local community, the department has been taking forward work on potential contingency arrangements with the expectation that these could be implemented urgently," the spokesperson said.
Dunaverty Ltd's Charles Stewart, who also owns Causeway coast boat agency Kintra Tours, said he was "delighted" to have been awarded the ferry contract.
He said he "looks forward to working with the department, the existing workforce and the local community to continue to develop and grow this lifeline service".
Glens SDLP councillor Margaret Anne McKillop, who had previously warned the loss of the ferry service would have been "catastrophic", said: "This is a huge relief to people both on Rathlin and in the Causeway Coast and Glens area as a whole. It's fantastic news after a day in which real fears and uncertainty were experienced by so many."