Time running out on Swansea ferry link for summer

TIME is running out on the re-establishment of a proposed ferry link between Cork and Swansea for next summer’s season.

The loss of the service to the south-west region, in the season just past, was estimated at €35 million.

The Port of Cork’s marketing manager Captain Michael McCarthy confirmed yesterday it was “a cause of concern” that potential operators have not yet indicated that a service will be operating in 2008.

“Meetings are going on but nothing has come out of them yet,” he said. “We are very anxious to re-establish the service but, the more it drags on, the more difficult it will be to market it for next year.”

He said as many people decide to book their holidays in January, it was important a re-introduction of the service was signalled by the end of this month.

“The timing is getting very short. It is now getting to a critical stage,” said Capt McCarthy.

However, despite the fears, he still held out hope of the service being resumed.

Talks are reportedly continuing between a Co Kerry businessman and a Channel Islands ferry company who want to re-open the route.

The 2morrow group, who operated HD Ferries between the Channel Islands and France, has drawn up a plan but its directors haven’t signed off on it.

The business plan focused on a low-cost service using a ship capable of carrying up to 500 passengers, 120 cars and 25 lorry trailers.

The company was looking at a year-round service, with a five-day week service in the summer and three-day week service in winter.

Meanwhile, numerous attempts by the Irish Examiner to contact one of the former operators of the service, Thomas Hunter McGowan, have failed.

A director of Swansea Cork Ferries, he had asked the Port of Cork, reportedly for €3m, to help him finance the purchase of a new vessel.

A few weeks ago, the Port of Cork authority refused to assist on the grounds it couldn’t favour one potential operator over another.

Neither of the other two parties had sought a loan from the port authority.

Capt McCarthy said he was talking to other ferry operators but, as yet, none of them had expressed a positive interest in re-establishing the service.

Donal Healy, chief executive of Cork Business Association, last night urged the city council, county council and the Government to intervene and purchase a ferry.

“We’re very supportive of what the Port of Cork Authority is trying to do and still hold out hope that they can pull it off. But it might be time for the Government and two local authorities to intervene.

Another year without the ferry could have a catastrophic affect on the south-west region,” he said.