Port of Cork refused to lend €3m to Swansea-Cork Ferries for new ferry

THE reopening of Swansea-Cork Ferries service hung in the balance last night after it emerged that the Port of Cork had refused to lend the company €3 million towards the cost of a new ferry.

Last October, the ferry company announced it had been unable to purchase a suitable vessel to replace the MV Superferry which it had sold to another operator. This resulted in no summer service.

The south-west region suffered an estimated loss of €35m in tourism revenue since the route’s closure and the industry is praying that a solution can still be found.