MV Portaferry II is a passenger ferry operated by Roads Service Northern Ireland. This ferry serves on a route which has been in operation since the 12th century.

Route

The ship traverses the 0.6 nautical mile (1.1 km) journey between Portaferry

Portaferry

Portaferry is a small town in County Down, Northern Ireland, at the southern end of the Ards Peninsula, near the Narrows at the entrance to Strangford Lough. It had a population of 2,467 people in the 2001 Census. It has an aquarium and is well-known for the annual Galway Hookers Regatta. It hosts...

 and Strangford

Strangford

Strangford is a small village at the mouth of Strangford Lough in County Down, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 475 people at the 2001 Census.On the other side of the lough is Portaferry and there is a ferry service between the two villages...

in 8 minutes daily with a regular timetable.

History

After years of service, MV Strangford, which was launched on 6 September 1969, began to show signs of age. A second, smaller ship, MV Portaferry, also operating on the Portaferry - Strangford route, had insufficient capacity to take over full service for route, so a new ship was needed. In 2001 the MV Portaferry II replaced the aging MV Portaferry and relegated the earlier vessel, MV Strangford, to a support role. A 2011 opinion piece, "Ards Peninsula Facing Hardship During Ferry Refit," suggests that there is local interest in maintaining a backup transportation option for MV Portaferry II.

The £2.7 million invested in construction of MV "Portaferry II" continues a longstanding tradition. A local history website states that "ferry service has been provided between Portaferry and Strangford since the 12th Century."

Onboard

Like her predecessors, due to the short travel time the only onboard facilities are a passenger waiting area and a gangway at each side of the ship with benches and placards to inform readers of the area's wildlife.