This ship is the 'Riverdance'. She is registered in Bermuda but owned by
Seatruck Navigation who run a regular container & commercial vehicle ferry
service between Warrenpoint (about 40 miles from my home in Belfast) and
Heysham in North West England.

The Riverdance left Warrenpoint on Thursday 31st January and was caught in a
very fierce storm in the Irish Sea. That evening she was struck by a freak
wave about 12 miles from her destination and rescue Helicopters and
lifeboats were scrambled. She drifted and finally grounded on the beach at
Blackpool (a well known and popular English resort). The crew and passengers
(truck drivers) were all brought ashore safely.


The grounding made big news here as all the truck drivers were local and the
containers were carrying goods produced/manufactured by local companys.

The storm was was also responsible for the wrecking of the Portrush lifeboat
on rocks at Rathlin Island (also big local news as she was a well known
local lifeboat). The same storm was possibly also responsible for the
grounding of the Zhen Hua 10 near Rotterdam (see Jeronimus posting 4th
February below)

Regards,

Tuppence

p.s. attached a stock photo of Riverdance leaving Warrenpoint in happier
days.