 In 1973, European Ferries purchased Larne Harbour Ltd and a 50% stake in the former naval dockyard at Harwich.This was followed in 1976 with the acquisition of The Felixstowe Dock and Railway Company.In 1979, European Ferries entered the property industry in a joint venture for property development in Denver, it expanded this in Atlanta and in 1980 began buying further land in Houston.