Arrival of People’s Ship ‘a dream come true’

A CO-OP of “ordinary people” who purchased a €7.8 million passenger ferry that will travel between Cork and Swansea has dubbed it the “People’s Ship” and predicted it will support 1,000 new jobs.

The 154-metre 1,800 passenger ferry the MV Julia, which arrived in Cork yesterday for a final fit-out before starting service next March, is expected to inject up to €50m annually into the local economy.

Her arrival is the culmination of an almost year-long campaign by the West Cork Tourism Co-Op (WCTC) to restore the ferry link. Swansea-Cork Ferries ceased operations in 2006 and despite carrying 3.5 million passengers since it began in 1987, the company couldn’t find a replacement for its MV Superferry.