Bad weather scuppers liner visit

The tourists have been unable to land because of the rough seas

Eight hundred tourists due to see Londonderry on Tuesday had their trip cancelled after being trapped on their cruise ship by bad weather.

They were scheduled to come ashore at Greencastle in Donegal, but the captain felt it was too rough to disembark.

Tour guide Martin McCrossan, who was to show the visitors around the city, said the ship should have docked at the deepwater port at Lisahally.

"Cruise passengers tend to be bigger spenders, we can't afford the loss."

"They should be in Derry, they should be in the port at Lisahally, and they should be accommodated.

"There should be proper things for them there, everything should be sorted for them," he said.

The Harbourmaster at Londonderry Port, Bill McCann, said the ship had arrived too late for the tide.

"You've got to have all the tidal conditions right for a vessel that size to get in.

"She's just at the limit of what we can do up in Lisahally," he said.

Passengers on board the MS Prinsendam travelled from Liverpool to near Derry as part of the 14-day itinerary of the Gaelic Legend cruise.

The tourists were then due to take a tour of the city for about four hours.

A spokesperson for Cruise North West said the captain of the Prinsendam took the decision not to send passengers ashore because he felt the weather conditions were not suitable for the age profile of his passengers.

"As master of the vessel, we respect his decision.

"However, we have had very successful cruise ship visits to Greencastle, including the Artemis in July, and they were so pleased with their visit that they have already re-booked for next year.

"The Cruise Initiative will continue to look at further opportunities for larger vessels to berth at the region's deep water facility at Greencastle," the spokesperson said.