Work has recently begun in Dublin’s Grand Canal Dockyard to transform a former CIÉ Aran Islands passenger /freight ferry into a floating 5-star luxury hotel on the Liffey.
The owners Irish Ship & Barge Fabrication Co said the initial works are to clear the vessel of combustible materials in preparation for the €6.6m restoration project which is scheduled to be completed next year.
The first stage of the project will require work to survey the vessel’s hull, but this can only be done with the ship removed out of the Grand Canal Dock basin’s historic Georgian built graving dock of more than 200 years old. This is to facilitate the installation of docking blocks that will correctly position the ship’s keel before any further works can take place.
Photo: JEHAN ASHMORE
