Is a Cork - Spain Passenger Ferry Service viable?

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Is a Cork - Spain Passenger Ferry Service viable?

After the short-lived Ireland-France-Spain ferry service operated by LD Lines on the Rosslare - St. Nazaire - Gijon route ceased services from the Co. Wexford port towards the end of August 2014, what next can be done to boost Tourism & Trade with the Iberian Peninsula? The brief Rosslare - St. Nazaire - Gijon service from LD Lines seemed to be struck down by atrocious weather in it's early days and I'm not sure if it was operational long enough from Ireland for one to come to an informed decision on whether or not it would have ever been a viable proposition going forward.

Previous to LD Lines, there had been much speculation between 2010-2013 that a Cork to Spain ferry service from Cork to Gijon was being considered by the Port of Cork but nothing came of it at the time. However; one would wonder if such a service is economically viable from Cork in the current economic climate either? Brittany Ferries have been operating out of Cork to Roscoff, France (not to mention Cork to St. Malo ferry route circa 1993-'96 period) with various vessels during the months of March to October every year since around 1979 and they operate services from UK to Santander and Bilbao in Spain. If an Ireland to Spain direct or indirect ferry link was ever a sustainable proposition the Port of Cork's Ringaskiddy Ferryport Terminal in County Cork would be an ideal gateway for such a service if the following was to happen:

*a suitable vessel was identified and available,
*an interested ferry operator willing to take a medium to long term view
*any EU funding for launching the only direct ferry service between two EU states which currently do not have a ferry connection by sea
*any necessary investment in port facilities at both ends was put in place in advance of commencement of services
*sales/marketing/promotional budgeting fund was put in place ahead of any future launch to market

Media Sources:
http://www.portofcork.ie/index.cfm/page/currentnews/id/117

http://www.portofcork.ie/index.cfm/page/currentnews/id/4

http://www.politics.ie/forum/transport/128208-new-ferry-route-port-cork-spain.html

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/new-cork-ferry-to-spain-and-france-1.619060

roundymac

No.

neris

trade wise its nearly as quick if not quicker to run a truck through the UK, France and into Spain then it is on a ferry. Theres a service from Spain to Uk thats just about getting by.

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neris wrote: »

trade wise its nearly as quick if not quicker to run a truck through the UK, France and into Spain then it is on a ferry. Theres a service from Spain to Uk thats just about getting by.

It's interesting as Ferry services from Ireland to France have been doing better in recent times albeit during the peak season. I'm not just referring to business during June when the European Football Championships takes place in France but one of my sources has said bookings were very encouraging outside the June period before the end of last year for the forthcoming season. Perhaps the dreadful weather last Summer in Ireland has also played a part in more people choosing to holiday in places like South of France this year!

Apparently when LD Lines had operated the Rosslare-St.Nazaire-St.Gijon route I understand that the Rosslare to St.Nazaire leg had shown a lot of potential in terms of bookings but unfortunately the arrangement was pulled in late August 2014. I wonder if there had not been such major changes at LD Lines shortly afterwards if they would have resumed selling a Rosslare - St. Nazaire route. Sometimes major changes at transport companies at certain times or the loss of a vessel if it's sold or if it's charter has expired - it can often prevent services from reaching their full potential.

ArnieSilvia

The Rosslare - St.Nazaire route was fantastic for summer campers like our family. It let us go much further south (Pyrenees) because there was less travel involved. Also MUCH better for accessing LaRochelle/Ile de Re or Bordeaux/Archachon Bay.

We paid 300 euro return when everybody else were charging over 1000 to north of France which also involved additional day of driving to our locations (and back).

I'd happily pay 500-700 if service was resumed as would many others.

In regard to sailing to Spain, my answer is no. Too far. Flight tickets work out cheaper and travel doesn't eat into your holidays. 24hrs was just about borderline of what I could handle on the ship. I was surprised though that the second leg of that route (St-Nazaire-Gijon) was quite popular too. Roads in France are great and there's no necessity to use ferries like in Ireland but hey - each to their own.

Tabnabs

A lot of parallels to Ireland and many of the same reasons why it's not going it happen here either.

British-based founder of petition asserts it makes sense; expat importer and ferry operator disagree, saying it’s never going to happen

George Moore, a 14-year-old Brit based in the English Midlands, has for over a year been spearheading a campaign to bring back the Harwich-Esbjerg ferry route that DFDS discontinued in September 2014.

He has already attracted over a thousand signatures to his Reopen the Harwich to Esbjerg Group petition (sign here) to save the link, the last ferry passenger service between Denmark and the UK, and established a dialogue with the Danish ferry operator.

For my family
“I’m doing this for my family who are not tech-savvy!” he told the Copenhagen Post.

“I have been going to Denmark since I was a little boy, and all my family have travelled on the ferry, so I started this petition for them.”
Fresh-faced George Moore is already a seasoned campaigner

Moore, whose other online exploits include the holiday reviews site britishflyers.com, contends that reopening the link is vital to both ports as it aids their local economies and makes particularly good sense in light of recent events.

“Considering the current migrant crisis with Calais, Esbjerg would be a viable solution for cargo heading with drivers to Denmark and the rest of Scandinavia,” he said.

Never going to happen
However, it is not an opinion shared by Dave Darlington, the British owner of the Randers-based company Food From Home, which has been supplying British and US food products to Danish supermarkets for the past 15 years,

According to Darlington, the up-from-France option has always been his and most Danish-based importers’ preferred method of bringing in British goods – because it’s cheaper and quicker.

“Just to give you an idea of price: a return ticket for a family of four in a car on the Harwich-Esbjerg ferry was 9,500 kroner, and that didn’t even come with a cabin,” he told the Copenhagen Post.

“And the journey was 19 hours long. They could have made the distance in something closer to 12, but it was conveniently timed to start just before dinner and finish just after lunch. You can drive a long way in 19 hours.”

According to Darlington, the route was closed due to economic reasons as more people were using alternative transport routes – via budget airlines mostly.

“The petition is a total waste of time,” he said. “It’s never going to happen.”

Darlington agrees the discontinuation of the link has affected a lot of private individuals, conceding he would even use it himself if it still existed.

And there are plenty more like him who have signed the petition. “We need the route to visit my parents and family on Denmark,” explained Anne Kristine Arbon from Salisbury in England on the petition’s website.

“My brother, a former UN soldier, suffers from PTSD and flying triggers his flashbacks. Please reconsider opening the route again.”

Karen Christmas from York agrees. “It’s so convenient taking the car that way especially with children and shifting belongings to and from countries,” she said.

“What a shame it closed – not everybody wants to fly!”

The ‘Bacon Boat’
But there is a ferry option, Darlington contends, and it’s operated by DFDS’s freight shipping division between Esbjerg and Immingham, which is near Hull.

Known by some as the ‘Bacon Boat’, the service sails every day, and depending on how much space there is, there can be room for private individuals, providing they are transporting cargo.

However, according to DFDS communications chief Gert Jakobsen, this is not a realistic option as there never is any space.

“There is a limit of 12 people who can travel on the freight service, and the places are taken by our regular customers,” he confirmed to the Copenhagen Post. “We don’t have the facilities to cater to more than that.”

Targeting 80,000
Jakobsen is adamant that the Harwich passenger service will not be restored.

“A revision of duty free laws in 1999 saw passenger numbers fall from 200,000 to 80,000 a year, and meanwhile you have much cheaper air travel,” he explained.

“It was a hard decision as it’s such a historic route, but all the Scandinavian services to the UK have stopped.”

All of the Scandinavia-UK routes have been closed


Nevertheless, Moore is confident his petition – which is marked for the attention of DFDS and three of its subsidiaries, along with two other local operators, Stena Line Ferries and Regina Line Ferries – will continue to gather signatures.

“Realistically we need about 80,000 to reopen the route,” he said.

“DFDS have basically said ‘never’, but they are running out of excuses.”

http://cphpost.dk/news/bring-back-the-harwich-esbjerg-ferry-but-is-it-really-worth-it.html

Atlantic Dawn

With cheap flights, cheap car rentals and the guts of a 2 day journey on the ship it would appeal to very very few wanting to go on holiday. From a trade point of view there's already much better established trade routes for containers and there's no specialist industries at either side needing goods moved between the countries.

hytrogen

Ah the good old fashioned booze cruise. I know if I had a family I'd take it. Saves all the rushing & pressure & restrictions you get when boarding a plane..
Ok Biscay can be a right mare most of the time but Galicia is a glorious place to visit all year round but sadly we Irish have become obsessed with the 'cheap holiday package' ethos of travelling & have forgotten our ways of back packing it or taking our time enjoying the journey so I'd say this is a non-runner unless some serious marketing investment is made that changes mentalities of our good humble selves..

AwaitYourReply

Tabnabs wrote: »

A lot of parallels to Ireland and many of the same reasons why it's not going it happen here either.



http://cphpost.dk/news/bring-back-the-harwich-esbjerg-ferry-but-is-it-really-worth-it.html

For many years, the idea of any ferry service from Ireland to France direct to/from Dublin Port (even along the lines of the Epsilon) would have seemed a highly unlikely proposition as Cork and Rosslare Ferryports ensured one would have a much shorter direct crossings to France yet Irish Ferries decided to introduce a Dublin to Cherbourg route and presumably have chosen to continue with this route again because it made commercial sense for them as a company. (i.e.) so long as they do NOT sail in major storms with cargo!)

ICG/Irish Ferries used run seasonal services direct from Cork to Cherbourg and Cork to Le Havre during the months of June/July/August for many years right up to around 1998 even though they were competing directly with Brittany Ferries on the Cork to Roscoff route from the same Ferryport. I'm surprised nobody took up a ferry route to St. Nazaire after LD Lines pulled out if it was showing encouraging passengers numbers even at a time when you have cheap budget airlines/cheap car rentals and so on etc;

Is it not possible that some people may like the idea of the whole Cruise Ferry aspect of their holiday IF the vessel has a lot to offer by way of facilities/amenities/luxury comforts/attractions? Choice of ports, vessel, service and so on

cowboyBuilder

ArnieSilvia wrote: »

The Rosslare - St.Nazaire route was fantastic for summer campers like our family. It let us go much further south (Pyrenees) because there was less travel involved. Also MUCH better for accessing LaRochelle/Ile de Re or Bordeaux/Archachon Bay.

We paid 300 euro return when everybody else were charging over 1000 to north of France which also involved additional day of driving to our locations (and back).

I'd happily pay 500-700 if service was resumed as would many others.
ssity to use ferries like in Ireland but hey - each to their own.

Was that for a family plus car ? or each ?