Photographs © John H. Luxton 1995 - 2010

Norse Irish Ferries commenced operation between Belfast and Liverpool in November 1991. For the first few years the elderly Canadian built NORSE LAGAN was chartered to the operation by Wagonborg Shipping whose funnel marking she continued to carry. These views show the vessel (left) at Brocklebank Dock and (right) entering the Mersey Channel.

New purpose built ro/pax vessels arrived from Visentini in 1997. MERSEY VIKING is seen at anchor in the Mersey dressed overall on her maiden arrival from Belfast in July 1997 (left) and right at the Brocklebank Dock terminal.

On arrival of the new Italian ro/pax ships NORSE LAGAN spent a while laid up in Cammell Laird wet basin, before she was brought across the river to Canada Graving Dock for a refit and repaint during which she acquired a revised livery and Norse Irish funnel markings in preparation for the commencement of a new service to Dublin. However by now. Cenargo owned Merchant Ferries were about to commence a new Dublin to Liverpool service. During 1998 Cenargo and Norse Irish merged operations to form Norse Merchant Ferries. and she went to Moby Lines before ending up at Alang for breaking in 2007.