The tourism group behind a new ferry service linking Cork with Swansea has expressed confidence for the future of the service which today saw the ship arrive in Cork on its maiden voyage from the Welsh port.
West Cork Tourism Co-op chief executive Conor Buckley confirmed to The Irish Times that its subsidiary Fastnet Line has already achieved 16 per cent of its target revenue in bookings for the year for the MV Julia prior to the commencement of the service.
"We've already achieved 16 per cent of our target revenue for the year and that's been with practically no marketing - we're confident that there will be strong demand for our service which we hope will open up Cork and Kerry again to British visitors," he said.
Today's sailing came after a number of deferrals of the new service following certification difficulties for the new car ferry and marked the first ferry service between Cork and Swansea since 2006 when Swansea Cork Ferries terminated its service.
West Cork Tourism began its campaign at the beginning of 2009 to raise funds to get a service back on the Cork Swansea route and a co-op was formed with some 300 members who each contributed €10,000 towards the cost of purchasing a boat.
Finnish bank, Aktia Bank and its finance company, Atkia Yritysrahoitus Oy also supported the aquisition of the 28 year old MV Julia for €7.8 million through the provision of a multi-million euro mortgage to the Fastnet Line.
Cork City Council, Cork County Council and Kerry County Council also provided support as did the Port of Cork and ABP Ports in Swansea and Fastnet CEO, Tom Barrett yesterday paid tribute to all those who assisted in the venture.
"With bookings topping the €1million mark, people are obviously very aware of the savings in time and the road trip savings of 600km over alternative sea crossings, not to mention the direct access to the M4 corridor when they arrive in Swansea," he said.
Formerly plying her trade in the Baltic, the MV Julia which is 154 metres long and can carry up to 1,860 passengers, 440 cars and 40 trucks, underwent a major refurbishment and now boasts 300 cabins, four restaurants, a cinema, a casino as well as 15 dog kennels.
According to Mr Buckley, the service will initially operate seven days a week providing a nighttime crossing from Swansea to Cork and return but it's hoped to add daytime sailings during the summer months to bring the number of crossings up to ten a week.
The new service has been backed by both the Irish Government and the Welsh Assembly with then Minister for Tourism, Martin Cullen pledging the support of Tourism Ireland to Fastnet Line through its co-operative marketing campaigns.