Cork to UK by Ferry - Time to re-consider it again?

AwaitYourReply

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/reopening-cork-uk-ferry-link-unfeasible-225861.html

Above is a newspaper article from the Irish Examiner dated March 2013 outlining why Cork UK ferry link was regarded as unfeasible however; that was then and a lot has happened in Tourism here in Ireland in more recent times.

Given the continued pattern of falling Oil prices (which in turn benefits in lower fuel prices derivatives in respect of: Diesel/Petrol/LPG etc;) on world markets reaching historically low values.

Added to this, we now have a major oil exporting nation, Iran's recent sanctions lifted which means that country is once again exporting oil on world markets and adding to the stockpile at the same time.

Meanwhile in Ireland, the Irish Government and agencies like Fáilte Ireland introduced more Tourism friendly initiatives such as:

• 9% VAT on Tourist activities,
• Abolition of Travel Tax,
• Wild Atlantic Way
• Ireland's Ancient East

If the right ferry route was identified and all necessary permission/approvals granted with various port authorities/other agencies in each jurisdiction, surely a suitable vessel could be acquired and adequate funding could be put in place followed by a highly visible sales & marketing campaigns.

2016 should have been the right year to have re-launched a Cork to UK ferry link but at this stage it's probably too late for this Summer. Tourism has been in a major growth phase and with terrorist atrocities in some sun holiday spots in North Africa in recent years and in Paris twice in 2015, perhaps this is another golden opportunity missed to attract tourists to Ireland's South-West region!

Meanwhile we still have not seen a direct Cork to Spain ferry link launched despite previous indications from the Port of Cork a number of years ago suggesting it was one of their goals.

Up north Stena Line has increased passenger ferry business out of Belfast since moving out of Larne. Stena Line closed their Dún Laoghaire - Holyhead service as there was a duplication of similar services but the more modern Dublin Port services was attracting much more business so; Dún Laoghaire had to go. Irish Ferries introduced the vessel Epsilon for the more "no-frills budget style" sea crossing from Dublin to Cherbourg and it will run it again this year AFAIK!

If you had a reliable service out of Cork to a major city port like Bristol rather than Swansea, one wonders IF road haulage/freight companies, car passengers, foot passengers be inclined to support such a service. Swansea was often problematic as the local tides meant sailing times were having to change on a very frequent basis which simply did not suit the timetable that transport haulage companies were required to adhere to.

I cannot understand during an upturn in the economy along with other positive factors such as: very low fuel costs, major tourist initiatives like Wild Atlantic Way paying dividends, rising tourist numbers, shortage of hotel bedrooms at certain times etc; The various stakeholders on this side of the Irish Sea including Port of Cork, City of Cork, County Cork, Cork-Kerry Tourism, Cork Chamber of Commerce, Cork Business Association, Irish Hotels Federation, B&Bs etc; need an experienced professional ferry service operator to come in and launch services out of Cork just like Swansea Cork Car Ferries Ltd managed to do so successfully with a number of vessels before they sold the ship.

Of course if the passenger ferry docked at Cobh rather than Ringaskiddy, you would have a direct railway link with regular services to/from Cork City for those foot passengers who are not travelling by Car/Coach! Maybe by the time it is resurrected, it will come at a time when fuel is high and tourism is in decline during it's cycle.

Below source released under 30years rule in relation to Cork-Swansea ferry link
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/state-papers-concerns-cork-swansea-ferry-could-threaten-b-i-1.2480555

roundymac

Forget it, the only way to run a succesful ferry route to Swansea is from May to Sept and no ferry company is going to do that.

elastico

roundymac wrote: »

Forget it, the only way to run a succesful ferry route to Swansea is from May to Sept and no ferry company is going to do that.

Why not?

Airlines do it, the doolin to aran Islands ferries do it and stena used run the SeaCat thing summer only.

Stinicker

What would be needed is improvement in the Road from Kerry and Cork to Rosslare to make the Rosslare service easier accessible, nobody wants to spend 12+ hours at sea; the low oil prices are merely the conflict of Geo-politics (US and Saudi Oil Manipulation) and are not some permanent feature.

Dub13

Stinicker wrote: »

What would be needed is improvement in the Road from Kerry and Cork to Rosslare to make the Rosslare service easier accessible, nobody wants to spend 12+ hours at sea; the low oil prices are merely the conflict of Geo-politics (US and Saudi Oil Manipulation) and are not some permanent feature.

Very true, sure you just need to look at Dublin/Liverpool two big citys with loads of traffic but most go via Holyhead.

AwaitYourReply

Stinicker wrote: »

What would be needed is improvement in the Road from Kerry and Cork to Rosslare to make the Rosslare service easier accessible, nobody wants to spend 12+ hours at sea; the low oil prices are merely the conflict of Geo-politics (US and Saudi Oil Manipulation) and are not some permanent feature.

Ah, I fully appreciate that the price of oil will always fluctuate over a period of time for a whole host of reasons however; at a time of historically low oil prices, this can be a very useful tool and crucial opportunity to launch and establish either a new route with future potential or re-launch a once successful route particularly if other conditions are also favourable at the same time - Airlines will often hedge their bets and purchase fuel in large bulk if and when the prices are very low in the market at a given time. Ferry companies also engage in this practice hedging their bets by pre-purchasing their fuel requirements well in advance and if you read some annual reports you will often notice that such a policy can help in generating profit at certain times or losses at other times.

In addition to the whole low fuel issue for ferry operators themselves - there are many other positive factors that exist in the current economic climate that commercial interests could take full advantage of including the lower 9% VAT rate on tourist related businesses, abolition of Irish Travel Tax, some favourable Budgetary measures have already begun to kick in, lower fuel costs for the ordinary motorist too taking their car abroad, Wild Atlantic Way, consumer confidence increasing after long recession etc;
All these factors combined make a huge difference to the overall picture.

When Irish Ferries launched the Epsilon on the Dublin-Cherbourg route it was not certain to be a success as traditionally regular scheduled Passenger car ferry services that operated to/from Ireland and France had only ever departed from these TWO ports as follows:

Rosslare from 1973 to the present day
AND/OR
Cork from 1978 to the present day

From what I understand, the Cork to Swansea route was largely run on a successful basis by Swansea Cork Car Ferries Ltd. between 1987 - 2006. Their main problems was in securing a suitable replacement vessel in time for 2007 season after the last vessel had been sold and apparently the issue with low tides at Swansea made this task even more challenging. That said, it does not necessarily have to be Cork to Swansea especially as tidal restrictions at Swansea can cause other problems for passengers/freight customers/the ferry operator itself. There could be other advantages to running a service between Cork and Bristol instead.

As for nobody wants to spend 12+hours at sea - well maybe if there are no stabilisers on the ship and the vessel is stuck out at sea during a violent storm/hurricane or; if the vessel is very old and has no modern facilities that are comfortable for passengers. Otherwise, people are still boarding ships as traffic on some routes seems to be holding it's own or even increasing. Meanwhile, it seems that many holidaymakers enjoy the whole Cruise ferry scene and clearly like being at sea for long periods of time and we can see more & more huge ocean liners docking each season in Cobh, Co. Cork, Dublin Port and Belfast.

The fact that Irish Ferries relatively new Dublin - Cherbourg route to France has been given another year brings into question whether Rosslare has a strong bright future in terms of travel on those routes to France.
We all saw how Stena Line gradually introduced services directly into Dublin Port and eventually Stena Line did what some people thought would never happen - shut down the link from Dún Laoghaire - Holyhead and closure of Stena Line operations at Dún Laoghaire. Could something similar happen elsewhere after an initial pilot service turns out to have better growth potential going forward? Ferry operators come and go as do routes.

Some routes that once operated from Ireland include:

[*]Dún Laoghaire-Holyhead (1835-2014 STENA Line)

[*]Rosslare-Nazaire-Gijon (2014 LD Lines)

[*]Cork-Swansea (Fastnet Line 2010-2011/Swansea Cork Car Ferries Ltd. 1987-2006/B+I Line 1969-1979

[*]Rosslare-Le Havre (ICG/Irish Ferries circa 1973-2009)

[*]Cork-St. Malo*** (Brittany Ferries circa 1993-1996)

[*]Cork-Le Havre (ICG/Irish Ferries circa 1983-1998 Summer Service)

[*]Cork-Cherbourg(ICG/Irish Ferries circa 1983-1998 Summer Service)

[*]Cork-Pembroke Dock (B+I Line circa 1979-1983)

[*]Cork-Fishguard (until 1969 B+I Line transfers to Cork-Swansea route)

[*]Cork-Bristol (circa 1821 to 1914)

Things change over time through advances in technology & energy efficiency not to mention changes in consumer attitudes & behavior etc;

***http://everything.explained.today/Brittany_Ferries/

AwaitYourReply

Dub13 wrote: »

Very true, sure you just need to look at Dublin/Liverpool two big citys with loads of traffic but most go via Holyhead.

Up north, Larne is no longer the main departure port for passengers heading across the sea. Stena Line switched from Larne - Stranraer route and invested in a new Belfast to Cairnryan route instead which resulted in a significant increase in their business from that region.

Sometimes different size vessels and other smaller operators can conduct a service at a profit but the venture may be unattractive to larger operators who wish to focus on bigger investments and so on. The former B+I Line (now Irish Ferries) had to axe Dublin-Liverpool back in the '80s and the passenger service disappeared for many years before eventually other operators came in to resurrect the route again. Other routes like Cork Swansea have come and gone or switched to other locations in South Wales and so on over the years too.

Maybe it is time to for ferry routes to move closer to city ports rather than embarking/disembarking at out of the way quiet locations such as Rosslare, Co. Wexford. Rosslare does not serve the very best interests of the South-West tourist region of the Cork-Kerry area so; there is an immediate and obvious conflict of interest there as well.

AwaitYourReply

roundymac wrote: »

Forget it, the only way to run a succesful ferry route to Swansea is from May to Sept and no ferry company is going to do that.

Well I would imagine most revenue and custom from passengers will occur in May to September timeframe alright however; there may be other arrangements and alliances forged with other commercial interests to take account of the October-April period. The business model would need to generate a more freight less passengers model for winter period from day one which does not mean a vessel needs to remain in dry dock all winter long and you have to allow for annual maintenance too. Ferry companies probably have this headache all the time but it's nothing new and airlines also operate routes during Summer only periods as well.

For example:
If the vessel is chartered for so many months each year:
It might be possible to operate a Summer seasonal route in one region and then switch to another region such as the Mediterranean for a similar period of time on an annual basis. I'm not sure if this used happen between some of the Swansea Cork Car Ferries Ltd vessels that were chartered prior to ownership of a vessel towards the end.

roundymac

They operated a Polish owned ferry at the start, comleate with Polish crew. This operated on and off due to company having to wait for the Govnment to put a gurantee of IR£500,000 in place each year. So we had a ferry in ,87,88,and in ,91 a ferry (The old Innisfallen) was chartered from Strinsas a greek ferry company. This outfit had ferries laid up due to conflict in the Yougaslavia. They then operated it for a couple of years before there was a management buy out. This company then operated until 2006 when it ceased trading because of the sale of it's ship Celtic Pride 11.

AwaitYourReply

roundymac wrote: »

They operated a Polish owned ferry at the start, comleate with Polish crew. This operated on and off due to company having to wait for the Govnment to put a gurantee of IR£500,000 in place each year. So we had a ferry in ,87,88,and in ,91 a ferry (The old Innisfallen) was chartered from Strinsas a greek ferry company. This outfit had ferries laid up due to conflict in the Yougaslavia. They then operated it for a couple of years before there was a management buy out. This company then operated until 2006 when it ceased trading because of the sale of it's ship Celtic Pride 11.

Yes indeed much of this rings a bell in my memory as well. There was a lot of unrest amongst the unions about this route operating with an all-Polish shipping crew in the early years of Swansea Cork Car Ferries Ltd. I think I read somewhere that they were unable to charter a suitable vessel in time for the 1989 Summer season but as far as I know it was sorted by 1990 Summer season onwards.
In later years, when Swansea Cork Car Ferries Ltd. chartered a vessel from Greece, it may have been accompanied by a Greek crew as these aspects were probably part of these charter agreements. I travelled the route with a group during the Summer of 1992 and it was a 10 hour crossing in duration. In fact, Swansea Cork Car Ferries Ltd. had a positive relationship with Brittany Ferries that both firms used co-operate with each other from time to time. It was a shame that Swansea Cork Car Ferries Ltd sold a vessel before securing a suitable replacement which led to that firm's closure in 2006.

By the time a successor firm (i.e.) Fastnet Line came into being around 2010 it seemed most if not all of their energies & capital was all absorbed into securing the MV Julia but little or no serious or major marketing/promotion was apparent perhaps due to a lack of finance. If one does not have sufficient sales/marketing funds to heavily promote a ferry route after a gap of several years closed was always a major risk during a major economic recession and while oil prices were climbing. Even the ship MV Julia badly needed CORK - SWANSEA / SWANSEA - CORK painted in huge print along both sides just like B&I Line used do on their vessels in addition to displaying Website/email/text/phone details to make Bookings! The Fastnet Line logo close to the ship's masthead was absolutely tiny and barely visible if one drove down the hill (after passing Pfizer Pharmaceuticals plant) and into Ringaskiddy ferryport where the MV Julia was docked. I was disappointed and feared they were just not gonna make it with this lack of visual impact and presence in the media and unfortunately the rest is history.

Of course, in later years Irish Ferries eventually adopted a policy of hiring cheaper foreign based crews (usually through 3rd party Recruitment Agencies) on low wages as they needed to become a lot leaner & meaner with such stiff competition from budget airlines like Ryanair in addition to rival shipping operators such as Stena Line and P&O Irish Sea in the case of routes to the UK while competition from Brittany Ferries and Celtic Link Ferries Stena Line on routes to France.

roundymac

Fastnet Ferries were a disaster, and the Julia an even bigger one. Laid up in Cork for six months before the service was due to commence they then discovered major problems when she went into dry dock two weeks before the start which delayed the service. She then broke down on her maiden voyage while still in the inner harbour and limped into Swansea hours late. She had to taken out of service for a couple of weeks. Word had it that she was in poor condition internally and staff service was not great.
It all came to a sad end with some of the backers loseing their business's. They were well intentioned but with no experience in the business should not have got involved.
I also remember the old St Patrick 11 operating the service one year 2001 I think. Swansea Cork Ferries employed Polish catering staff and Polish deck crewmost of the time.

AwaitYourReply

Well, if this state was really serious about maximizing the Total Number of Overseas Tourists to Ireland as a whole and not just those who enter via the major gateways of Dublin and Rosslare but they should also help spread tourist spend into the regions outside of Dublin. We often hear how successful our international tourism campaign is: "The Wild Atlantic Way" which mainly runs from West Cork, Kerry, Clare, Galway, Mayo, Sligo, Leitrim & Donegal. The best thing about the product is that it is not pitched to potential visitors based on fine sunny weather (although, it helps) but on the raw physical landscape, the unique culture and the friendliness & kindness of the Irish people in general.

Any investor(s) of a revived Cork-UK ferry route would probably have these things in mind:

*How best would one sell a Cork to UK ferry route in the year 2016 and going forward?
*What are the benefits to a ferry operator?
*How would the service sustain itself as fuel prices increase?
*Is there a realistic prospect of growth in future years?
*How would a freight customer & leisure customer benefit from such a service if launched in the future?
*Identify any mistakes/shortcomings made by previous operators on routes Ex-Cork?
*Can such shortcomings be resolved and if so, how would they be met?
*Would you pitch it as a completely different product like a luxury Mini-Cruise Vs Other Shorter Services out of Rosslare at present?
*How do other long crossings from the island of Ireland manage to remain in operation in the present day?
*Who are the most likely target customers on both sides of the Irish Sea for such a service to/from Cork?
*What exactly do Freight/Leisure Customers want and expect from such a service?
*Can their expectations be delivered and if so; would it be a financially viable after an initial launch/honeymoon period?
*What supports/incentives are likely to be received by all other stakeholders most likely to directly gain from such services if introduced?
*What is the attitude of the respective Port authorities at each side of any proposed route?

I think any well-established ferry operator would need the following ingredients:

(1) a safe, modern & comfortable vessel suited for travel in the 21st Century
(2) convenient arrival & departure points,
(3) well serviced & maintained vessel(s) to ensure reliable & punctual crossing times
(4) a sufficient balance of freight business PLUS passengers & vehicles for leisure business
(5) would the vessel concerned also be used in alternative crossings elsewhere to ensure it is as cost effective as possible for an operator.

At the end of the day, when you read most recent figures of Overseas Visitors from Britain to Ireland were UP, fuel prices are DOWN to an all time historic low, Special VAT Rate of Only 9% remains in place for all Tourist related activities in Ireland, "Wild Atlantic Way" tourism campaign continues to improve and grow.

Surely, this is a golden opportunity to launch a new Cork-UK ferry service and get it right this time before fuel rises again!

munchkin_utd

the real cash is now being made in freight which is a year round solid income, and is many multiples of what you'd get for a car and a few passengers.

If there was a business to be had in shipping lorries from Cork then there would be one already.
On top of the very frequent standard short crossings from Dublin-Holyhead, Rosslare-Fishguard, and Belfast/Larne to Scotland

- Theres 2 Sailings leaving Belfast for Liverpool daily with stena
- Theres 3 sailings leaving Dublin for Liverpool every day with P+O
- Theres up to 2 sailings daily between Dublin and Liverpool with Seatruck for lorries
- Theres 2 Sailings leaving Warrenpoint for Heysham every day with Seatruck
- Theres up to 2 sailing between Dublin and Heysham with Seatruck for lorries

Thats 11 extra sailings on the irish sea right now on top of over a dozen shorter ferry crossings daily, running profitably, all of which are comparable to the journey time of Cork-Swansea - yet

If there was money to run a Cork Swansea service then surely someone would be doing it.
And its ominous enough that even the Rosslare-Wales services are fairly sparsely used nowadays too, with no need or demand for a second ferry for either Stena or Irish Ferries

Fact is though that theres not enough industry or export trade to sustain further services on the south Irish sea, and passengers alone will not keep a ferry going all year round.

(NOTE: the Britanny ferry which does focus on passengers, only visits cork once a week and does runs between France, England and Spain for the rest of the week to pay its way - and skips 4 to 5 months of the winter, but is still making cash on other routes)

Tabnabs

I know of an investor who looked at the Cork to Spain freight route. It only made sense with EU funding which ultimately wasn't forthcoming, and the numbers were poor despite a solid trade between Spain and Ireland.

Ireland is a small island that is well serviced by some of the largest ro/pax vessels in the world. The competition is fierce and there are many failed endeavours along the way. Oil, containers, bananas, that's Cork's niche market and it does a terrific job in servicing it.

AwaitYourReply

munchkin_utd wrote: »

the real cash is now being made in freight which is a year round solid income, and is many multiples of what you'd get for a car and a few passengers.

If there was a business to be had in shipping lorries from Cork then there would be one already.
On top of the very frequent standard short crossings from Dublin-Holyhead, Rosslare-Fishguard, and Belfast/Larne to Scotland

- Theres 2 Sailings leaving Belfast for Liverpool daily with stena
- Theres 3 sailings leaving Dublin for Liverpool every day with P+O
- Theres up to 2 sailings daily between Dublin and Liverpool with Seatruck for lorries
- Theres 2 Sailings leaving Warrenpoint for Heysham every day with Seatruck
- Theres up to 2 sailing between Dublin and Heysham with Seatruck for lorries

Thats 11 extra sailings on the irish sea right now on top of over a dozen shorter ferry crossings daily, running profitably, all of which are comparable to the journey time of Cork-Swansea - yet

If there was money to run a Cork Swansea service then surely someone would be doing it.
And its ominous enough that even the Rosslare-Wales services are fairly sparsely used nowadays too, with no need or demand for a second ferry for either Stena or Irish Ferries

Fact is though that theres not enough industry or export trade to sustain further services on the south Irish sea, and passengers alone will not keep a ferry going all year round.

(NOTE: the Britanny ferry which does focus on passengers, only visits cork once a week and does runs between France, England and Spain for the rest of the week to pay its way - and skips 4 to 5 months of the winter, but is still making cash on other routes)

Oh I know it is by no means a foregone conclusion however; Swansea Cork Car Ferries Ltd (1987-2006) had apparently made a success of the route by the mid '90s however; it closed when their last vessel was sold and they were unable to secure a suitable vessel in time for the peak season.

B+I Line abandoned Cork-Swansea for Cork-Pembroke Dock and then abandoned that too. At the time, it was a government run semi-state operation that was losing millions for years. B+I Line eventually became part of ICG/Irish Ferries.

Swansea Cork Car Ferries Ltd. 1987-2006
They sold their vessel but had made a success of the route for a good number of years

Fastnet Line 2010-2011
Sadly, they lacked the experience of running a ferry service

Swansea Cork Car Ferries Ltd. had also co-operated from time to time with Brittany Ferries particularly around mid '90s when there was spare capacity during the off-season periods. As far as I recall, you would have had all of the following passenger car ferry services using Ringaskiddy Ferryport in Co. Cork in the 1993-1996 Summer Season.

Cork to Roscoff (Brittany Ferries) end March-end October
Cork to Swansea (Swansea Cork Car Ferries Ltd.) around March-October
Cork to St. Malo (Brittany Ferries) Summer only
Cork to Cherbourg (ICG/Irish Ferries) June-July-August
Cork to Le Havre (ICG/Irish Ferries) June-July-August

Brittany Ferries does indeed operate other routes most of which are from England to France & Spain however; while they are usually much quieter before and after the Summer peak season on the Cork-Roscoff route I suspect they have maintained a presence in Cork because it makes commercial sense for them rather than for purely nostalgic reasons. There were years when there were more Irish heading to France and other years when it was more French coming to Ireland so these trends can change over time.

Next Summer the European Football Championships are due to take place in various parts of France which has given all transport carriers (i.e.) Airlines & Ferry Operators a major shot in the arm especially after all the terrorist atrocities in Paris in 2015. That said, my source has told me that Brittany Ferries are not only busy during the period of the Euros which is what I thought - Apparently booking trends for 2016 were already showing signs of major growth even before Christmas for 2016 and outside the Euros period too - Perhaps some families who can now afford it again are determined NOT to take a risk on spending another wet Summer at home in Ireland so; it would seem that they are looking to head to places such as the South of France in the hope of enjoying some fine warm weather. I hope they are not disappointed!

Perhaps Swansea is part of the problem ... tidal issues and delays never good
Time to refresh the canvass and offer new options for travellers
Would a city like Bristol be able to handle/invest in port facilities to receive such service?
More fuel efficient vessel better suited to longer crossings
Experienced ferry operator and/or experienced ferry personnel with business/tourism would need to be directly involved from pre-launch (i.e.) day one!
Time to think outside the Box!

Of course, it would be critical if a major carrier was involved like Brittany Ferries, P+O Irish Sea, DFDS Seaways, SeaTrucks etc; so that they can achieve better economies of scale by getting the most out of any vessel put on a Cork UK sailing once a week during the busier months of the year such as: March-October period. The past has shown it can be done but only if the right conditions and economies of scale can be met from the outset.

AwaitYourReply

Just a sample of what is ahead of you if you decide to sail directly into Cork...

* Skellig Michael in Co. Kerry and the whole Star Wars connection!
* The Wild Atlantic Way starts in lovely West Cork and goes all the way up the entire West Coast of Ireland
* Visit Kinsale - Ireland's Gourmet Food Capital and popular cultural/historic town
* The world famous and beautiful Lakes of Killarney, Gap of Dunloe, Killarney National Park including Muckross House
* Queen Elizabeth II visited the Old English Market in 2011 at Grand Parade, Cork City Centre
* Shopping in Cork City Centre taking in Opera Lane, Patrick Street and Oliver Plunkett Street recent winner of an Urban Streetscape Award in these islands
* Kiss the famous "Blarney Stone" at Blarney Castle and visit some of the local craft shops in nearby village of Blarney only 8 miles from Cork!
* Queenstown Story/Titanic Heritage Centre at Cobh in East Cork
* Fota Wildlife Safari Park in East Cork
* Visit and Tour of Jameson Heritage Experience at Midleton Distillery in East Cork
* and a whole lot more from beautiful beaches, walking trails, forest parks, Irish authentic pubs, fine dining, castles, monuments, take in a round of golf, hillwalking, abseiling and so on etc;

Someone should be sending a press release to Tourism Ireland, Fáilte Ireland, Port of Cork, Port of Bristol Authority, Port of Swansea, Brittany Ferries, DFDS Seaways, P+O Irish Sea, SeaTrucks, Irish Ferries, Stena Line, and any other interested ferry operators on why Cork and the gateway to the South-West has so much more to offer than Rosslare or Dublin!

AwaitYourReply

I do not see any specific mention of "national and/or maritime" that I understood was referenced in an interview on this topic earlier on NewsTalk 106-108FM Radio this evening on "The Right Hook" when George was discussing the topic with NewsTalk's Business Editor, Vincent Wood at around 5:45-5:55pm (I believe they podcast the show) however; I gather it is probably based somewhere around the below Cork Tourist growth plan. Check out further details on this ambitious plan from the following link:

http://www.failteireland.ie/Utility/News-Features/News-Library/Ambitious-Tourism-Strategy-for-Cork-Published.aspx

They need Ferry Operators, Cruise Line companies, Iarnróid Éireann/Irish Rail, Bus Éireann, CityLink coach firm, AirCoach, GoBÉ, all hotels, all B&B Guesthouses, Tourist Hostels, Caravan & Camping Parks, Car Rental Agencies, Tour Operators, Travel Agencies, Lonely Planet, Hostels.com, Hostelworld.com, Trivago, Local Tourist Attractions throughout the length breadth of Cork City & County Cork, What's On directories and so on etc;

It would be interesting to see an established Ferry company take a closer look at a Cork - UK link perhaps in the context of a big effort by all Cork stakeholders as suggested in the latest campaign strategy.

munchkin_utd

Seatruck announced today that they are adding a third ferry (not sailing, ferry) with double the capicity of their other vessels on their Dublin- Liverpool truck ferry route to allow up to 3 sailings per day midweek.
And this on top of longer freight friendly Dublin-Heysham, Warrenpoint-Heysham, Belfast-Heysham and Belfast-Liverpool routes.

Freight is where the big bucks are, and longer unaccompanied sailings akin to Cork Swansea or Cork Bristol are what is booming on the north half of the Irish sea (also thanks to issues with driver shortages), so if you want to replicate something maybe replicate that year round model of high paying truck traffic rather then trying to fill a ferry with passenger traffic which can go by plane just as easy, and the substantially more comfortable and quicker journey for the likes of a tenner if they are lucky.

purplepanda

Once the New Ross bypass is built Rosslare will be much easier to reach from Cork. Pembroke Dock is all new road from the motorway already compared to the slower old route & the same will be true from Rosslare all the way to Cork when the Barrow bridge is completed.

I'd say or guess that the majority of car passengers from Fishguard - Rosslare are heading for the south west, however the south & east tourist agencies are seriously looking to get some of the passing trade, particularly south wexford & waterford coast & Waterford & Kilkenny regions.

There have been a few tourism articles on SE Ireland in the UK broadsheets recently complete with adverts & other publicity.

If a direct Cork Ferry doesn't get operating by next summer, & builds up a regular trade soon afterwards, the idea will be a non starter.

It also needs to be competitive, especially as petrol costs are low at present.

munchkin_utd

munchkin_utd wrote: »

Seatruck announced today that they are adding a third ferry (not sailing, ferry) with double the capicity of their other vessels on their Dublin- Liverpool truck ferry route to allow up to 3 sailings per day midweek.
And this on top of longer freight friendly Dublin-Heysham, Warrenpoint-Heysham, Belfast-Heysham and Belfast-Liverpool routes.

Freight is where the big bucks are, and longer unaccompanied sailings akin to Cork Swansea or Cork Bristol are what is booming on the north half of the Irish sea (also thanks to issues with driver shortages), so if you want to replicate something maybe replicate that year round model of high paying truck traffic rather then trying to fill a ferry with passenger traffic which can go by plane just as easy, and the substantially more comfortable and quicker journey for the likes of a tenner if they are lucky.

Seatruck now adding a FOURTH ship to the Dublin route, again showing that the money to be made on the Irish sea is with Freight, not a few holiday makers during the summer.
http://www.seatruckferries.com/news/seatruck-add-4th-vessel-liverpool-dublin-route

God knows what'll happen with brexit, but I cant see it helping the cause of a Cork-Uk link happening in the short to medium term, and with much much more frequent services from Dublin and/or Warrenpoint and/or Belfast, outside of cork city and the hinterland, its hard to see where a Cork-UK ferry would attract custom from.

Slight tangent, I saw somewhere that ferries charge upwards of €1500 for a truck for the irish sea crossing. Is that right ?
Weightwise a truck is over 10 times heavier than a car so it sounds plausable enough

roundymac

Forget about Cork-UK for ferry services. If you could make money out of it you can be sure someone would be in there by now. Motorways in Ireland all have one thing in common. They ALL go to Dublin making it much easier to transport goods.
The only ferry/ferries we will see out of Cork will be to mainland Europe, sad but fact.

hytrogen

roundymac wrote:

.. The only ferry/ferries we will see out of Cork will be to mainland Europe, sad but fact.

And yet we're seeing increased cruise ship tourism to Ireland, particularly Cork as a deep water historic port so the arguement for "ferry trips more than 12hours are unviable" is very, well, Irish. Many Brits take mini cruises to north Spain with the cars, stock up on the cheaper finer wine and sail home.
Sure the Oscar Wilde running overnight to Cherbourg - Rosslare is one of their busiest routes booked this summer apparently. And yet we can't coordinate the transport infrastructure here to have like a train meet the ferry to take the tourists on bicycles west on this daft island...

LordSutch

I have spent most of my life sailing between Ireland & Britain, and the one thing I miss more than any other is the Dun Laoghaire-Holyhead crossing, so I can sympathise with those who mourn the demise of the Cork/Swansea crossing

Re Dun Laoghaire; Happy memories the massive St Columba, St David, and the very fast HSS ....
Nowadays I travel to Britain Rosslare-Fishguard, which is fine, but I miss the old route.

roundymac

hytrogen wrote: »

And yet we're seeing increased cruise ship tourism to Ireland, particularly Cork as a deep water historic port so the arguement for "ferry trips more than 12hours are unviable" is very, well, Irish. Many Brits take mini cruises to north Spain with the cars, stock up on the cheaper finer wine and sail home.
Sure the Oscar Wilde running overnight to Cherbourg - Rosslare is one of their busiest routes booked this summer apparently. And yet we can't coordinate the transport infrastructure here to have like a train meet the ferry to take the tourists on bicycles west on this daft island...

You just won't face facts, if there was money to be made out of it would run. End of,,,,,,