P&O Ferries have commenced work on a major upgrade to the Scottish port of Cairnryan.

A new roll-on and roll-off linkspan is being installed at the port, and is expected to be completed by the end of the year. This new floating ramp structure will be used by both freight and passenger vehicles on the P&O Irish Sea ferry services to Larne.

James Esler, manager for P&O Ferries Scottish services said: “The ferry crossing between Cairnryan and Larne is the shortest anywhere on the Irish Sea and is very popular with both our freight and tourist passengers. This investment will improve our product still further for the long term.”

Although P&O have confirmed there are no plans to improve facilities in Larne, already at a high standard, improvements to the road network would aid connections to the Northern Irish ports.

The Port of Larne managing director, Keith Millar, reacted positively to the news, saying that the

“project is clear evidence of P&O Ferries’ continued commitment to the ferry service between Cairnryan and Larne.”

The work being done by P&O follows the £200million investment made by rivals Stena Line in relocating their Scottish base from Stranraer into Loch Ryan in late 2011.

Stena Line reported in December that the new services had resulted in a 60 percent rise in freight users and a nine percent increase in passenger numbers.