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The Cork Connection
Topic Started: February 1 2012, 01:49 PM (442 Views)
Audi-Tek
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Prince
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JULIA alongside the deep water berth in Ringaskiddy in Cork harbour

Vessel Identification
Name: Julia
IMO: 8020642
Flag: Bermuda Posted Image
MMSI: 310582000
Callsign: ZCEB1
Former name(s):
- Christian Iv (Until 2008 Jul 03)
- Bayard (Until 1990 Jun 26)
- Olau Britannia (Until 1990 May 22)
- Bayard (Until 1989 Dec 31)
- Olau Britannia (Until 1989 Dec 31)


Technical Data
Vessel type: Ferry
Gross tonnage: 22,161 tons
Summer DWT: 2,880 tons
Length: 0 m
Beam: 24 m
Draught: 5.6 m


Administrative Information
Home port: Hamilton
Class society: Det Norske Veritas
Build year: 1982
Builder*: Ssw Schichau Seebeck Shipyard
Bremerhaven, Germany
Owner: Fastnet Line Shipmanagement
Cork, Ireland
Manager: Fastnet Line Shipmanagement
Cork, Ireland


Fastnet Line investment talks to continue



Wednesday, February 01, 2012

Intensive talks to secure the €1m-plus investment needed to save the Cork to Swansea ferry service are set to continue over the coming days.

The examiner appointed to Fastnet Line, which operates the service on behalf of the West Cork Tourism Cooperative Society, was due in the High Court yesterday to present details of a funding rescue package, together with the company’s new business plan.

It followed the decision on Monday by Cork City and County Councils to invest a further €300,000 into the service.

However, the court hearing did not take place as talks continued between the examiner, Michael McAteer, and Enterprise Ireland and Finance Wales.

It is understood the talks centre on hopes Enterprise Ireland will invest €400,000 in the company, with Finance Wales investing up to €800,000.

Kerry County Council is expected to vote on Feb 20 on a decision to invest €100,000.

A spokesman for the cooperative society confirmed last night Fastnet Line spent yesterday engaged in talks with the Irish and Welsh agencies to secure the remaining funding required to save the service.

"Cork-to-Swansea ferry representatives have been permitted by the court-appointed examiner to continue their discussions with both the Irish and Welsh agencies to find a workable funding solution.

"Given the legal constraints of the examinership process, the examiner is bound to wind up negotiations as soon as possible."

The spokesman said a creditors meeting is likely to be called for next Tuesday, Feb 7.

Fastnet Line’s acting chief executive officer, Pádraic O’Kane, told Cork’s local authorities on Monday the service is worth around €30m to the South West, and £20-£25m (€25-€30m) to the Welsh region.

It is now proposed that the ferry would only operate between April and September, reducing its sailings from 280 to 142.

Since the ferry service resumed in March 2010, it has carried a total of 153,000 passengers. Tickets are already selling for its first sailing from Swansea on March 30.



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Mark (IWO)
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Travelled on the Cork Swansea route in April 2010 during the ash cloud crisis. Was my only way home. Great service. Would be shame to see it go.
The coldest winter you will ever experience is a summer in West Clare.
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Audi-Tek
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Location: Cobh, Cork, Ireland


Fastnet Line has never recieved revenue subsidies from anyone ,and unless subsidies are available to all operators it will never recieve revenue subsidies.
On a side note I see the lack of a ferry service to the UK has already begun to impact on the Cork region , latest Failte Ireland figures show that County Cork is likely to be the only region in Ireland so see a contraction in its inward tourism numbers , to date advance bookings for the Cork region are down by 30,000 on last years figures (by strange coincidence the number of inward tourists who arrived into Cork with Fastnet Line last year) , if this figure does not change then the projections are that as many as 6500 EXISTING jobs will be lost in the Cork region over the course of 2012 , this comes on the back of the Cork Tourism industry's worst winter performance in 25 years (again lack of a ro/ro ferry service to the UK had a lot to do with this).
To compound this further is the expectation that Brittany Ferries will withdraw its Cork - Roscoff service at the close of its 2013 season as new EU rules on ferry emissions will make the route unviable , that coupled with the Port of Cork now begining to comment that the land that Ringaskiddy ferry port sits on is far more valuable as part of the contravercial relocation of container operations from Tivoli to Ringaskiddy than as a ferry terminal. If that happens coupled to the loss of Fastnet Line , then its endgame for the Cork tourism industry as the gutted capacity at the financially insolvent airport and no ferry services means that even if you have the best tourist facilities in the world , they are of no use if no-one can get to them , in this scenario job losses in the region could hit 10,000 - 15,000 over a 24 month period and all the social consequences that go with that , not a pretty picture but now looking likely to happen. This does not include the Irish and Welsh jobs that have already been lost at Fastnet Line (34 Irish and 16 Welsh I think , am open to correction on that , along with the 76 agency crew) , it would be interesting to see what its costing to keep these people on welfare benifits while the powers that be work out weather they will have jobs to back to or not.
While Fastnet Line is a victim of its own wrongdoing , the fact remains that up to €100 million of trade between two peripheral regions and up to 15,000 existing jobs are in danger of being lost , and without arguing the rights and wrongs of who should pay it , I'd say €1.6 million to avoid the consequences is a bargain .

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Mark (IWO)
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Services has not been saved

The owners of the Cork to Swansea Fastnet ferry service have announced that the service is to cease, with the loss of 78 jobs.

West Cork Tourism Co-Operative Society Limited said it had been unable to raise adequate funds and the examinership of the company had failed.

Earlier this week, the company had asked the three local authorities in Cork and Kerry for additional funding to maintain the service.

In a statement, the company said Fastnet will now be placed in receivership or liquidation depending on the judge's decision.

It goes on to say there will be expected losses of €30 million in direct tourist spending in the Munster region and over €20 million in the South Wales region.
The coldest winter you will ever experience is a summer in West Clare.
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Cork-Swansea ferry service loses fight for survival

Cork-Swansea ferry service loses fight for survival but owners pledge to battle on for Irish-Welsh tourism

The West Cork Tourism Co-Operative Society Limited, owners of the Swansea-to-Cork service (Fastnet Line), today (2 February 2012) announced the end of the service. The Cork-to-Swansea ferry service has been unable to raise adequate funds and the examinership has failed. It is now placed in receivership and/or liquidation later today with the direct loss of 78 jobs and expected losses of €30 million in direct tourist spending in the Munster region and over €20 million in the South Wales region.

Noel Murphy, Chairman of the West Cork Tourism Co-Operative, in an address to staff, shareholders and supporters, said:

"Despite heroic efforts by staff and supporters of the ferry service in both Ireland and Wales, we are very disappointed to announce that we could not to save this vital piece of tourism and transport infrastructure.

The Swansea-Cork Cruise Ferry provides the only direct passenger and freight link between the South West Region of Ireland and the South Wales Region in the UK and in doing so is a key generator of business, direct tourism and tourism related revenues for both regions. It will now enter receivership.

"We would like to thank our friends throughout Ireland and Wales who relied on the ferry service, and the visitors it transported, and who pledged hundreds of thousands of Euro. Unfortunately, these funds and the funds pledged by local council's in Cork and Kerry were insufficient to meet the required figure to achieve the proposed scheme or arrangement. Our efforts fell at the final hurdle.

The funds were there, private and public, to allow us to continue but, despite the best efforts of all involved, state aid rules and red tape choked off the ferry’s chances of sailing again in March 2012.

All private funds committed in our recent request for support will be returned.

We have lost the battle but the war is not lost: the West Cork Tourism Co-Operative Society is still in existence to promote Tourism in West Cork and Kerry and the South west Region of Wales.

We see this as a major opportunity lost for Southern Ireland and Southern Wales. However there are positives. We saw a remarkable grassroots campaign of passengers, small business, local politicians, business leaders and citizens rallying behind the ferry. The people of South Wales and South Munster did not lie down, they fought for this tooth and nail and this spirit will stand us in good stead in this economic climate and bodes well for a resurrection of the service.

The People of Ireland and Wales deserve a better quality of service to interconnect our two communities. We hope that lessons can be learned from this experience. If we have achieved anything we hope that the Welsh and Irish governments will now look actively and positively at building international transport infrastructure rather than letting the recession cut people and businesses off.

Since the launch of service in March 2010, MV Julia has carried over 153,000 passengers and based on current tourist spends, the Cork, Kerry and the surrounding areas economy has benefited by over €55 million during the services current lifetime. A further €7.5 million of goods and services has been purchased by the operating company, Fastnet Line, in the Munster region and €65 million worth of freight has been shipped through the Port of Cork.

With no ferry sailings taking place in 2012, a minimum of 25,000 British tourists will not travel to Ireland, which would represent a further 1% reduction in visitor’s numbers from the 2011 figure. The remaining 35,000 visitors will perhaps visit Ireland via other means, but will in all probability not reach the Cork and Kerry regions owing to the difficulty in doing so with other crossings.

South Wales and Swansea will see tens of thousands less tourists arriving from Ireland and from people in the rest of the UK who passed through Wales as a result of the ferry.

It is sad and ironic that this announcement is made in the same week that a cross-party group of Welsh Assembly Members launched an inquiry into how Welsh ports and airports could be better developed to boost the economy. Welsh Ministers and the National Assembly for Wales have specific powers over transport links, planning policy, grants and other financial assistance and they need to use them to raise the profile of Wales as a country and a tourist destination by increasing international trade and tourism links.

In Ireland the announcement has come as Failte Ireland revealed it has missed its targets for attracting tourists to South Munster.

Most importantly the Co-op leadership team would like to sincerely and publically thank all the loyal supporters and customers of the Cork-Swansea ferry. In particular,

The many great supply partners to the business on both sides of the Irish Sea – the Co-Op very much appreciates their ongoing support and patience and for those suppliers for whom yesterday’s decision means a bad debt we express our sincere apologies.
The 453 individual shareholders who believed in the project by investing privately.
Our staff – particularly the remaining shore based staff who have been planning the 2012 service from an operational, financial, sales and marketing who regretfully were informed that their jobs were lost this morning – the ship based crew, not only the small team that has been looking after the ship during examinership but the many staff waiting in the wings looking forward to returning to the Julia – we thank you and wish you well.
The Port of Cork and the Association of British Ports in Swansea who continued to back and support the service.
The Local Authorities in Cork County Council, Cork City Council and Kerry County Council for their continuous support and for seeing the true value of the service right up to the present day. In particular I want to thank the Mayor of Cork Tim Lombard for championing the cause.
On the Welsh side we have received strong support from local politicians in all parties and we appreciate their efforts over the past weeks. In particular Welsh Assembly members Mike Hedges, Peter Black, Julie James, David Rees and Byron Davies. MPs Peter Hain, Geraint Davies, Sian James, David Davies, Dr Hywel Francis, Stuart Andrew and Derek Vaughan MEP were also helpful and we ask them not to give up the fight.
The examiner – Michael Mc Ateer and his team in Grant Thornton that have worked with such dedication and professionalism. Collectively we came so close to bringing the examinership process to a successful conclusion."
Management Consultant Padraic O’Kane who brought clarity and focus to the teams efforts to restructure Fastnet Line and in our efforts to secure the additional funds.
We hope the vision of the ferry supporters and the Co-op will be realised in the near future and we know the dedication of these people I've mentioned to tourism in Southern Ireland and Wales will not fade. We only ask that red tape and burdensome rules won’t be allowed to damage viable tourism the trade next time round."

About the Ferry
The Fastnet Line companies are owned by the West Cork Tourism Co-Operative Society Limited, which was formed in April 2009 to fund and operate the ferry as a community-based cooperative of over 450 investors and enterprises, in both Wales and Ireland.

http://www.fastnetline.com/cork_swansea_ferry_service_loses_fight_for_survival_but_owners_pledge_to_battle_on_for_irish_welsh_tourism.html
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Audi-Tek
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The MV Julia, which ran on the Swansea to Cork ferry service


Below is a copy of an email, sent to shareholders today..


Dear Member,
The troubled times we are experiencing has not dampened the determination of
your Co-Op to continue to seek solutions to the loss of the service.
Co-Op board members met with Cllr.Tim Lombard, Mayor of Cork county and
management Consultant Padraic O’Kane in Kinsale last night.
Padraic, who has generously offered his services “pro bono” to help get us back
on track, outlined the options open to us.
These included chartering a ship for six months of the year to provide the
service. This is an option that is being examined.
There are many advantages in chartering such as the provision of a ship
supplied with an operating crew. We would be able to position Irish and Welsh
front of house staff - something that our members and customers have often
indicated would be their preference.
We pay for fuel but have no certification issues or maintenance works so we
know our fixed costs and no nasty surprises, like having to replace an engine.
Cllr. Lombard reiterated the councils desire to support us going forward,
acknowledged the work the Co-Op had done to date and acknowledged how
much revenue will be lost if the service is not restored.
The question of shareholding was addressed with the following commitments:
 The councils will not take a shareholding with any future investment that
might be made so existing shares will not be diluted.
 In the event of chartering the Co-Op will own the business and profits
generated will come back into the coop.
 Shareholders will decide whether to reinvest in the service or pay out a
dividend.
We will keep you updated with any developments within the next two weeks.
Noel Murphy, Chairman

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skibboy
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Thanks for that, a very welcomed move....
...its the weather, like it or not..
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Audi-Tek
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Last-ditch attempt to save ferry service.

The mayor of Co Cork, Cllr Tim Lombard, is to lead a delegation to meet Minister for Marine Simon Coveney in a last-ditch attempt to get Government backing to save the Cork-Swansea ferry.

Councillors unanimously supported the proposal yesterday, with many critical of Enterprise Ireland’s unwillingness to support the ferry service, which ultimately led to the company being put into liquidation.

Cllr Alan Coleman (FF) said the county council had put €300,000 into the ferry and was prepared to put in another €200,000 to keep it afloat, but claimed the Government would not bridge the gap needed when the Fastnet Line was in examinership.

He urged the mayor to approach Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Mr Coveney to convince them to release money to get the MV Julia back into service.

"Minister Coveney should push the boat out on this one to ensure this necessary link with Wales is maintained. Cork’s city council and county council, along with Kerry County Council, all put their money where their mouths were," he said. "We’re demanding that action is taken to get this ferry refloated."

Cllr John O’Sullivan (FG) said the ferry not only carried 153,000 tourists in the past two years, but was also the only ferry operating out of the state which had a live animal export licence.

The demise of the service, he noted, would also have serious consequences for farmers.

Cllr Donal O’Rourke (FF) said West Cork in particular had benefited from the service and the EU needed to step in and ensure that the connectivity to the peripheral areas within Europe was maintained.

It was pointed out by Cllr Dermot Sheehan (FG) that the EU was preparing to spend €5bn in 2014 to aid connectivity between member states.

"Money should be made available from that fund to safeguard this [ferry] connection. We should see if we can get an advance of even €1m from it to restart the service. It would be a shame if we lost it after all the hard work which had been done," Cllr Sheehan said.

Cllr Michael Hegarty (FG) said that comments made by the court-appointed examiner showed that the service was viable and it was crucial for the local economy that it was kept going.

Meanwhile, Cllr Pat Murphy (FF) said: "There are a lot of worried tourism businesses out there. Enterprise Ireland was found seriously wanting and pulled the rug out from under the project. The Welsh government didn’t seem to have a problem with funding it."

Cllr Deirdre Forde (FG) said Enterprise Ireland officials should be summoned to the council to give the reasons why they did not support the venture. However, Mr Lombard said he did not see any point in doing that because of the "disregard" shown to the council previously by Enterprise Ireland.

County manager Martin Riordan said the county council had been committed to the Fastnet Line since its inception.

"It is unknown what will happen in the receivership process but probably the boat will be put up for sale. It looks that 2012 is not a runner [to restart the service] but we will try and work positively on it for 2013," he said.

www.irishexaminer.com
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Cork ferry embarks on new life as floating hotel




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Julia passing Cobh, in Cork Harbour,



Friday, March 30, 2012

It is a rather ignominious end for the ferry once billed as one of the jewels in Cork tourism industry.

The MV Julia will sail out of Cork tomorrow to embark on a new life — a floating dormitory for workers building and servicing offshore wind turbines in the North Sea.

It is the final chapter in the short and troubled life of the Fastnet Line, which was set up by West Cork Tourism Co-operative.

The 30-year-old ship, which had capacity for 1,860 passengers, made its maiden voyage on the Cork-Swansea route in Mar 2010.

She was bedeviled by mechanical problems in the first few days of operation, and in Nov 2011 the service was withdrawn due to higher-than-expected fuel prices.

It had been hoped to restart the route this year, but the Fastnet Line went into receivership last month.

The vessel had been sold, reportedly for €5m, to C-BED, a Dutch-based company.

It had been managed during the receivership process by Cork-based Barry Shipping Ltd, which completed the transfer of the vessel to C-BED last Wednesday.

The Julia, which will be renamed Wind Perfection, will undergo an extensive refit in Holland before she takes up a charter with Siemens next October.

Port of Cork commercial manager Michael McCarthy said the ship would be used as a floating hotel for wind turbine industry workers.

It is being used by Siemens to save valuable time and money which would be incurred in the daily transfer of construction workers to and from the mainland.

Mr McCarthy said it was "very shocking" to see the Fastnet Line service fail.

"We [the Port of Cork] remain convinced that there is a viable ferry route between the ports of Swansea and Cork.

"Rising fuel prices have been a contributor to the failure of the service and other shipping lines servicing routes throughout Europe have seen their profits reduced due to many factors.

"However, they are still in operation and overnight ferries are still very popular."

Mr McCarthy said that tourism combined with adequate patronage from freight companies would make the route viable.

"Yes, there can be a viable business with proper finance and keeping the cost base down."

It is estimated the ferry would have carried about 75,000 passengers this year if it had not been withdrawn from service.

Cllr Tim Lombard, mayor of Co Cork, said: "The loss of the ferry will have a major knock-on effect in the South-West’s tourism business. We now have to redouble our efforts to secure a new service."

It is believed the ferry service was directly responsible for tourists spending €35m annually in the region.

"As a local authority we will have to lead the charge to get the ferry back and we should be working with the port authorities in Cork and Swansea to do this," said Cllr Lombard.

www.irishexaminer.com -ma-d- -ma-d- -ma-d- p-c-w-h-ac-k p-c-w-h-ac-k c-raz-y c-raz-y

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Edited by Audi-Tek, March 30 2012, 08:56 PM.
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