Economic case for ferry link between Swansea and south-west England ‘compelling’

Richard Youle

The economic case for a high speed, zero emission ferry link between Swansea and south-west England is “compelling”, the author of a new report said.

Dave Sampson, of Ocean Prime Industries Ltd, assessed public feedback about the idea and considered factors such as the potential market size, pricing and scheduling, revenue and employment potential, and reduced traffic on the M4 and M5.

His report was commissioned by Swansea Council, which had floated the idea of a hydrogen-powered ferry crossing the Bristol Channel in April 2022.

There have been questions about the progress made since and what engagement there has been with organisations in south-west England, and Mr Sampson’s report said more work was needed.

However, he said the overwhelmingly positive public feedback combined with the research he’d undertaken created a “clear” mandate to move to a detailed planning phase for what the report called the OceanJet Line project.

His report included an indicative timeline for the first of potentially eight high-speed vessels carrying 350 passengers and 24-32 cars to be in service by 2030.

The environmentally-friendly vessels would run on a hydrogen and electric power train, cruise at 40 knots, operate 20 one-way services per day and 350 days per year, and have a “target price point” from £15 per crossing.

“The economic case is compelling,” said the report. “The service would create hundreds of direct jobs and support thousands more across the supply chain, generate substantial visitor economy benefits for Swansea and all participating ports, reduce congestion and pollution on overcrowded road routes, and position the region at the forefront of green maritime technology.

“The challenges are real but manageable. Weather and tidal conditions require specialist vessel design. Port infrastructure requires investment. Hydrogen supply chains need development. However, these are engineering and commercial challenges rather than fundamental barriers.”

Mr Sampson said in his opinion the ferry link was a “nationally significant strategic” infrastructure initiative on a par with high-speed rail link HS2, and that a small working prototype could be built this year.

Mr Sampson thanked harbour masters both sides of the Bristol Channel for their insights and also the 4,396 people and groups who responded to the research thus far. He said 97.8% per cent of respondents expressed support, with 1.5% voting “maybe” and 0.7% saying “no” to it.

Themes

He said three themes were consistent: the desire for faster travel avoiding congested roads; enthusiasm for zero-emission transport; and the potential economic benefits for both sides of the channel. Concerns raised centred on commercial viability, weather and tidal challenges, and infrastructure requirements at destination ports.

Mr Sampson envisaged four areas of focus to progress OceanJet Line: vessel design; port infrastructure; workforce development; and renewable power being available at every port served. The proposal envisages electric batteries powering the ferry or ferries along with hydrogen which would itself be generated by renewable forms of energy like wind and solar.

Detail on potential ports is light but Ilfracombe, Appledore and Burry Port are referenced as well as Swansea. The report added that the Swansea Building Society Arena would become accessible to audiences in Minehead, Bideford and Barnstaple with late-evening ferry services returning south after a show.

Engagement with councils and port authorities across the entire region is to be sought.

“Any port or harbour where there is the potential for customer demand and access arrangements can be provided, will be considered for inclusion in the network, whether for year-round or seasonal services,” the report said.

Public support

Cllr Rob Stewart, leader of Labour-run Swansea Council, said there was strong public support for exploring a fast, zero-emission ferry link.

“The findings give us confidence to move into the next stage of work, which will involve bringing together partners from across industry, Government and the maritime sector to examine how a service like this could be delivered,” he said.

“We want to hear from organisations that can help contribute expertise and ideas as we develop this opportunity further.”

Cllr Chris Holley, leader of the opposition in Swansea, said he looked forward to reading the report when it was published.

“I’m all in favour of a ferry that would join South Wales with North Devon and Somerset,” said the Liberal Democrat councillor. “I will be very interested in reading what the report says and how infrastructure in North Devon and Somerset could be made to fit.”

“But I think we need to be realistic and ask ourselves what would be the long-term benefits and how that investment would be created.”

The proposed ferry link by numbers:

8 – up to vessels operating after five years
9 – height in metres of waves in the Bristol Channel during Storm Darragh last year
15 – the “starting from” target price, in pounds, per crossing
20 – number of one-way services per ferry per day
40 – cruising speed in knots
100 – crew members and shore-based staff initially
350 – ferry design, testing and construction workforce, based in the Swansea Bay region
350 – number of days the vessels would operate per year
1500 – supply chain jobs
2030 – indicative target date for the the first ferry to be operational
80,000 – vehicle crossings on the Prince of Wales and Severn bridges per day
800,000 – visitors to Swansea per year based on a single vessel
47,700,000 – revenue potential in pounds per ferry per year