Swansea ferry captain’s son plans to resurrect route

A MAN whose father was one of the main movers behind the first Swansea-Cork ferry link is hoping to resurrect the service and use its former name, the B&I (British & Irish) Line.

Captain Frank Allen, who has acquired a loan from a Finnish bank to purchase a new vessel, is the son of Charlie Allen, a former captain and marine superintendent for the old B&I Line, which ran a ferry on the Swansea-Cork route from the late 1960s. The ferry earmarked for the new service is “The Julia”, which ran routes between Norway, Sweden and Denmark.

At 155 metres long, she is far larger than the MV Superferry, which was used by Swansea-Cork Ferries up to the closure of the route three years ago. Port of Cork commercial manager Captain Michael McCarthy said the vessel was ideal for and Captain Allen was an accomplished operator.