The first sailing of this new route was on 21 May 1948 by "Empire Cedric". After the inaugural sailing, "Empire Cedric" continued on the Northern Ireland service, offering initially a twice-weekly service. "Empire Cedric " was the first vessel of the ASN fleet to hold a Passenger Certificate, and was allowed to carry fifty passengers. Thus "Empire Cedric" became the first vessel in the world to operate as a commercial/passenger roll-on/roll-off ferry, and the ASN became the first company to offer this type of service.