Sealink-Holyhead: Railway Ships

Rhodri Mawr

The Rhodri Mawr rests between sailings alongside the Mail Pier. © Tony Jones

When British Rail's Freightliner block trains began in 1965 ISO (International Standards Organisation) the container revolution had barely begun. The original intention was for a purely domestic Freightliner rail service - no consideration being given to the possibility of continuing the operation across the sea. That however soon changed.

In 1968 British Rail launched its Sea Freightliner service between Harwich and Zeebrugge with the cellular container ships Seafreightliner I and Seafreightliner II. Plans were soon put in place for an equivalent service on the Irish Sea and an order for two similar ships was placed with the Irish yard of Verolme Dockyard in Cork.

Belfast-bound, the Rhodri Mawr. © Ed James

The new Brian Boroime and Rhodri Mawr were named after and Irish monarch and a Welsh monarch respectively.

When the new ships were finally able to enter service on routes from Holyhead to Dublin and Belfast traffic volumes grew rapidly, reaching their highest-ever annual total of 73,000 containers in 1973.

Weekend layover at Holyhead. © Capt Walter Lloyd-Williams.

However the steady growth in Ro/Ro traffic on the Irish Sea influenced container volumes and by the early 1980s the Belfast route was being particularly affected. The end finally came in 1989 when the Rhodri Mawr, under the command of Capt Ted Besson, made the last Holyhead - Dublin - Belfast container sailings on 21 December.

The Rhodri Mawr on her berth at Holyhead. © Capt Glynne Pritchard

Some 1,250,000 containers had been carried since the service began in 1971 and between them the Rhodri Mawr and the Brian Boroime had made over 18,000 crossings of the Irish Sea.

Both ships were quickly bought by Greece's Sarlis Container Services for operation around the Mediterranean, the Rhodri Mawr and the Brian Boroime becoming the Peliner and the Peltainer respectively. For around 14 years they appear to have served their Owner well, even going as far as carrying two tiers of containers on deck - something they never did on the Irish Sea.

Sarlis Container Services filed for bankruptcy in 2004 forcing the lay-up of the entire fleet. On 12 March that year the Peliner went out of class. I have been unable to ascertain when she went back into class, but it would appear that she returned to service in September 2004 with Fairline Maritime as the Destiny and flying the flag of Comoros.