Proposed Swansea ferry could become world’s fastest commercial vessel

Nation.Cymru Staff

A proposed ferry linking Swansea with south west England could offer one-hour crossings at speeds that would make it the fastest commercial ferry in the world, according to a newly published report.

The report follows a public consultation in 2024, funded by Swansea Council through a £25,000 Shared Prosperity Fund, in which an “exceptional” 97.8% of the 4,396 respondents backed exploring the idea of a Bristol Channel ferry further.

Produced by Ocean Prime Industries, the report says hydrogen-electric vessels could complete the crossing in around an hour, operating at a target top speed of 60 knots, with fares from £15.

If achieved, this would make it the world’s fastest commercial ferry, beating the HSC Francisco’s record-holding top speed of 58.1 knots.

It would also far exceed the performance of existing hydrogen-electric ferries, such as the MV Sea Change, which has a top speed of around 15 knots.

The report details Ocean Prime’s vision for the crossing, describing the intended journey as a “coastal equivalent” to London’s Elizabeth line, with “contactless ticketing, real-time information, level boarding, comfortable modern vessels, a simple ‘drive on drive off’ for cars.”

It continues: “Pet and cyclist friendly, with crew trained to the best customer service standards, connecting waterfront arrival points that feel welcoming, well-designed, and appropriate to the places they serve, whether that is Swansea or the harbour at Ilfracombe, Appledore, or Burry Port.

“Civic spaces, designed for the communities around them, are energy-positive where possible, following the principle already demonstrated at the Bay Technology Centre on Baglan Energy Park, the first commercial building in Wales that produces more energy than it consumes.”

Respondents highlighted potential benefits, including reduced journey times, a lower environmental impact, and support for Swansea’s tourism and businesses.

The report estimates the service could bring “800,000 new visitors to Swansea annually”, generating “£80 million in additional economic activity for the city”, rising to more than £600 million “at full network maturity with a fleet of eight vessels”.

However, respondents shared concerns that previous ferry services, including SevernLink and the Cork ferry, had failed, that a reliable service would be impacted by adverse weather, and that ticket prices may increase over time.

Swansea Bay News also reported that “some of the report’s own figures do not appear to add up”, saying that the estimated 290,000 tonnes of CO2 savings per year from a single vessel do not match the calculations the report cites.

Journalist Kit Peters writes: “Using the report’s own numbers — roughly 800,000 car journeys replaced, at the 3.6kg of CO2 per journey it cites from Department for Transport data — the total is around 2,900 tonnes a year, one hundredth of the figure claimed.”

They also highlighted that the report appears to confuse the science fiction authors Isaac Asimov and Minehead-born Arthur C. Clarke. The report claims the former supported the Millennium Pier project, despite having died in 1992 before the Minehead Pier 2000 Association behind the project was formed.

Ocean Prime Industries is now planning to produce a working prototype of the proposed ferry this year, with a target launch date for the first vessel of 2030.

The report, ‘OceanJet Line – Public Consultation Research Report‘, was released to Swansea Council on Thursday 2 July 2026, and will now be subject to a council scrutiny meeting.