Plans for ferry service across the Bristol Channel dubbed a ‘fairy story’

Richard Youle, Local Democracy Reporter

Questions have been raised about the viability of a potential ferry service between Swansea and south-west England.

Opposition councillors quizzed the leader of the council, Cllr Rob Stewart, at a meeting on March 25, with Cllr Stuart Rice asking if he agreed “that this is more of a fairy story than a ferry story”.

Cllr Stewart said in April 2022 that the Labour-run council backed a potential passenger ferry service powered by hydrogen fuel to operate from Swansea across the Bristol Channel.

In 2024 the council commissioned a company called Ocean Prime Industries Ltd to consult and look into the idea, and it published a report this week which said the economic case for high speed, zero emission ferry service was “compelling”.

The report assessed public feedback and considered factors such as the potential market size, pricing and scheduling, revenue and job potential, and reduced traffic on the M4 and M5.

It envisaged a vessel or vessels carrying up to 350 passengers and 24 to 32 cars, with trips potentially starting from £15. It didn’t state which ports would accommodate it as more work was needed, but said the mandate for a new detailed planning phase was “clear” given the very strong public support.

Cllr Stewart said the proposed roll-on roll-off ferry could cut journey times from Swansea by around two-thirds. “I don’t think there is anything really to knock on this one,” he said.

Liberal Democrat opposition group leader Cllr Chris Holley said he believed the ferry idea was “very, very good” although the thought of it being powered by hydrogen was “a bit far-fetched”.

He said a previous Bristol Channel ferry proposal which led to a vessel being sourced some years ago couldn’t fit through the Tawe lock gates, preventing it docking close to the city centre. His concern was that the proposed service would dock where the big Swansea to Cork ferry used to and that passengers may simply head down the M4 away from Swansea instead of towards it.

Cllr Stewart said he felt Swansea’s “draw is going to be huge” with its attractions and beaches and that the proposed ferry service was “about freight” as well as passengers to improve the viability case.

Labour councillor Robert Francis-Davies said he agreed with Cllr Holley that Cork ferry passengers were driving away from Swansea when the service operated. “But it’s now a different city,” he said. He added that he would like to see more cruise ships calling into Swansea.

Bideford

Cllr Stewart went on to say that Ilfracombe in North Devon would be too small in terms of its harbour for the types of vessels now being talked about. “So that’s one of the things I think was ruled out at an early stage,” he said. “You would probably be looking at ports like Bideford [and] elsewhere.”

Cllr Rice, of the Uplands Party, said: “Would the leader agree with me that this is more of a fairy story than a ferry story?”

He asked if there were suitable ports in Devon and Cornwall and reckoned that pushing for a reinstated Swansea to Cork service was “a better ferry to be chasing”.

Cllr Stewart said Ocean Prime Industries had approached the council saying it believed it could bring forward a passenger service between Swansea and south-west England and that the authority supported the company in its work to see if it could be viable. “Why would we turn them away or not support them in doing that?” he said.

And the council would “absolutely talk” to anyone who wished to resurrect a Swansea to Ireland ferry, he said.

Independent councillor Brigitte Rowlands then shared a Freedom of Information response by the council to one of her constituents on March 3 which said no specific ports or harbours had been identified and that the level of technical detail around a proposed hydrogen fuel source had not been investigated at this stage.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service has also seen a council Freedom of Information response which said no meetings had been held between Devon, Somerset and Swansea county councils over the past two years to discuss a cross-Channel ferry, and one from Devon County Council which said no meetings had been held between it and Swansea Council on the subject in the last three years.

Design

Cllr Stewart said neither the design of the proposed ferry nor the services it might operate had been established yet. “It’s a work in progress,” he said, adding that initial discussions had taken place involving himself, the council’s chief executive and representatives from south-west England a number of years ago.

The Ocean Prime Industries report thanked the various groups the company had spoken to including harbour masters of Torridge, North Devon, Neath Port Talbot and Somerset councils.

“They have contributed to my better understanding of the opportunities we might unlock and challenges we may encounter,” it said.

“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.”