More than goodwill needed to stay afloat

IF GOODWILL was able to keep a ferry afloat then the Fastnet Line’s MV Julia could have ploughed through the most treacherous of waters.

However, it has been anything but plain sailing for the vessel, mechanically and financially.

It all started in April 2008 when West Cork Tourism set up a co-operative to reinstate a ferry connection between Cork and Swansea.

Hoteliers, guesthouse owners, publicans and other business people queued up to buy shares in the co-op.

Even little old ladies emptied their piggy banks in a bid to get a ferry connection operational.

People in South Wales did likewise.

West Cork in particular had suffered from the absence of the ferry.

It is estimated that up to €150 million in tourism revenue was lost in the four years after the former route operators, Swansea Cork Ferries Ltd, ceased trading in 2006.

It was a bitter blow to West Cork and the absence of English-registered cars became very apparent for the next four years.

After long negotiations, the West Cork Tourism co-operative agreed a deal with Finnish bankers to purchase the MV Julia.

Although she was quite an elderly vessel — built in 1982 — she was suited for the Cork-Swansea run, able to carry 1,500 passengers, 325 cars and 30 trucks. The Fastnet Line was thus born.

On Sept 17, 2009, the MV Julia cast off from a Finnish port on her way to Ringaskiddy.

She spent the next few months dry-docked for safety certification and for some modifications.

However, when she made the crossing last March, the gremlins struck.

The 28,000-tonne vessel got as far as the Whitegate oil terminal on the fringes of Cork Harbour when she developed engine problems. As a result she was six hours late docking in Swansea.

The ferry was supposed to return at 7pm, but ship’s captain John Grace said that due to safety reasons she wouldn’t sail on schedule.

Captain Grace said that electronic indicators showed that the inner bow door wasn’t closing properly.

He was concerned for the safety of all on board, as open bow doors had capsized the MS Herald of Free Enterprise ferry off the Belgium port of Zeebrugge in 1987, which led to the loss of 193 lives.

There have been further mechanical problems with the ageing vessel in the intervening period and the high cost of fuel has also hampered its profitability.

Mayor of County Cork Cllr Tim Lombard said he knew the company had been under financial strain, but the appointment of an examiner came as a shock.

“It is very important that this ferry link gets up and running again, especially for the people of West Cork who have benefited from tourism revenue. In many ways this examinership could have a positive impact. It would be very disappointing if it fails,” Mr Lombard said.

There is still a lot of goodwill out there, but it will need more to sustain the service into the future.