Belfast Car Ferries was an Irish Sea

Irish Sea

The Irish Sea separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is connected to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel, and to the Atlantic Ocean in the north by the North Channel. Anglesey is the largest island within the Irish Sea, followed by the Isle of Man...

 ferry company that operated a passenger and freight roll-on/roll-off service between Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

 and England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

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History

Belfast Car Ferries was formed in 1982 following P&O Ferries

P&O Ferries

P&O Ferries is the current name for the amalgamation of a range of ferry services that operated from the United Kingdom to Ireland and Continental Europe...

 withdrawal from the Liverpool - Belfast route in November 1981. Sailings commenced in May 1982 using the Saint Colum I. The vessel sailed every night from Belfast, returning during the day from Liverpool. The crossing time was 9 hours.

On 14th November 1984 the Irish Government

Irish Government

The Government of Ireland is the cabinet that exercises executive authority in Ireland.-Members of the Government:Membership of the Government is regulated fundamentally by the Constitution of Ireland. The Government is headed by a prime minister called the Taoiseach...

 placed parent company Irish Shipping Ltd into liquidation

Liquidation

In law, liquidation is the process by which a company is brought to an end, and the assets and property of the company redistributed. Liquidation is also sometimes referred to as winding-up or dissolution, although dissolution technically refers to the last stage of liquidation...

. In March 1987 Irish Shipping Ltd was sold to a consortium of investors and restructured as Irish Continental Group

Irish Continental Group

Irish Continental Group is an Irish shipping and transport group. Operating roll on/roll Off passenger, freight and container freight services on routes between Ireland, the United Kingdom and Continental Europe...

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Belfast Car Ferries continued operations until October 1990. The Saint Colum I quickly found a new Greek

Greeks

The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....

 owner and entered service in the Adriatic Sea

Adriatic Sea

The Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges...

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In 1991 the Liverpool - Belfast link was reopened by Norse Irish Ferries

Norse Irish Ferries

Norse Irish Ferries was an Irish Sea ferry company that operated a passenger and freight roll-on/roll-off service between Belfast and Liverpool.-History:...

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Routes

Belfast Car Ferries operated the following route across the Irish Sea

• Belfast (Donegall Quay) - Liverpool (Langton Dock
  Langton Dock
  Langton Dock is a dock on the River Mersey, England and part of the Port of Liverpool. It is situated in the northern dock system in Bootle, connected to Alexandra Dock to the north and Brocklebank Dock to the south...
  
  )

Fleet

During its eight years of operation the Belfast - Liverpool route was operated mainly by the Saint Colum I. Several vessels, including the Saint Patrick II, Saint Killian II and Gotland were chartered to cover for the Saint Colum I during overhaul.