Fastnet Line operated a ferry service carrying cars, freight and passengers between
Ringaskiddy
Ringaskiddy () is a village in County Cork, Ireland. It is located on the western side of Cork Harbour, south of Cobh, and is from Cork city, to which it is connected by the N28 road. The village is a port with passenger ferry, with two bi- ...
,
Cork,
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
and
Swansea
Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...
,
Wales
Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
on
MS ''Julia''. The service ran from March 2010 until November 2011.
History
From 1987 to 2006, the Swansea–Cork ferry was operated by
Swansea Cork Ferries Limited, an Irish-based company. The service ceased operating after the 2006 season. After disposing of their most recent vessel (the MV ''Superferry'') and failing to find a suitable replacement, Swansea Cork Ferries Limited announced that they would not be operating the service during the 2007 summer season. In fact, there was no service during the whole of 2008 or 2009.
A two-year campaign, started in April 2008 by concerned local businesses and individuals in the south-west of Ireland and South Wales, resulted in the forming of a
co-operative
A cooperative (also known as co-operative, coöperative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democr ...
which raised funds to enable the purchase of a new vessel and set up Fastnet Line.
After a long process of negotiation, including approval by the Finnish courts, it was announced in mid-September 2009 that the ship to run the new service,
MS ''Julia'', had been purchased for Fastnet Line.
She was built in 1982 and had previously served routes in Scandinavia.
left Finland for Cork on 17 September 2009, calling at the
Port of Swansea for berthing trials along the way. She wintered in the
Port of Cork
The Port of Cork () is the main port serving the south of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, County Cork and Cork City. It is one of the three "Ports of National Significance (Tier 1)" as designated by National Ports Policy.
It offers all six ship ...
before leaving in January 2010, for dry-docking, safety certification, and for some minor modifications in compliance with safety regulations at both Cork and Swansea.
Fastnet Line services started from Swansea on 10 March 2010, and from Cork on 11 March 2010, with three services a week in each direction from September to June, and four between July and August. On 24 March 2011 a dissertation on the impact of the period of closure on tourism was published.
End of service
The company suddenly cancelled sailings on 1 November 2011, and entered into
examinership
Examinership is a process in Law of the Republic of Ireland, Irish law whereby the protection of the Court is obtained to assist the survival of a company. It allows a company to restructure with the approval of the High Court (Ireland), High ...
, an Irish process supplying protection against
bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the deb ...
akin to the US
Chapter 11
Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code ( Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, w ...
procedure. In January 2012, the business plan was to become a seasonal ferry service from April 2012. The company was seeking sponsorship, with the vessel to be named by the sponsor and used as "Britain's largest billboard". Details of the situation were posted and updated on the company website.
The following month the company said it would cease operations, with the loss of 78 jobs, as it had failed to fund a €1.6 million rescue package. It hoped the service would be resurrected.
On 2 February 2012 (incorrectly headed 2 February 2011) the company said on its website: "Swansea ferry service loses fight for survival".
References
External links
Official website archived in April 2011
Peoples' Ferry campaign website archived in June 2010
{{Transport in Swansea
Ferry companies of the Republic of Ireland
Ferry companies of Wales