CYNGOR ABERTAWE...AMSER I DDEFFRO...SWANSEA COUNCIL...TIME FOR A WAKE UP CALL.

.On reading the latest news in regards to Abertawe/Swansea Council’s plans in considering the establishing of a ferry service from Abertawe/ Swansea to seaside towns in Devon and Cornwall, I can only wonder how much is this proposed scheme ‘really’ going to benefit the economy of Abertawe/Swansea, and Cymru.  

Apparently, the proposal for the scheme considered by council chiefs in Abertawe/Swansea is for a hydrogen-powered ferry service across the Bristol Channel and exploratory meetings have already been held with councils in Devon and Cornwall in regards to the idea.  They state that the proposed scheme will help provide a hub for a South Wales to Southwest of England service But, I, for one, am wondering how on earth is this proposed ferry service from South Wales to the Southwest of England going to help boost the economy of  Abertawe/Swansea and Indeed the whole of Cymru?

Surely, such a scheme, if delivered and operated, would take people, and their spending money, out of Abertawe/Swansea and Cymru to holiday and boost the economies of the Southwest of England. 

key to the proposal moving forward would be ensuring that seaside towns in Devon and Cornwall could accommodate ferries. If such was proved to be the case – or not?, It then could be that interested parties could make a joint bid for funding in the future. The question beckons to be asked, how many millions of pounds of Cymric taxpayers input would this take to put such an infastructure into place to help boost the tourism economy of the Southwest of England at the cost of  Abertawe/Swansea’s and the  overall economy of Cymru?. 

 In regards to the ability of accommodating large ferries, Abertawe/Swansea has already got that facility in place as there used to be a ferry service operating between Abertawe/Swansea and Cork until 10yrs ago so, in this post Brexit climate, where sea transport is a crucial necessity to export Welsh produce to Ireland as well as to other ports that form the Celtic Bow,, would it not make more sense to invest funding in the re-opening of the Abertawe/Swansea to Cork ferry so that the economy of the whole of Cymru can be boosted with the exporting of meat and other produce from West Cymru to these other Celtic countries?

As it stands, we have two Cymru to Ireland Ferries operating, one is from Holyhead in Sir Fôn to Dublin and the other is from Fishguard to Rosslare, both take export trucks, cars and foot passengers but both Holyhead and Fishguard are each located at points that are incredibly difficult for anybody, be they foot passengers, car travellers or export trucks to get to from West Cymru and you only need to look at the long queues of Trucks lined up waiting to board these ferries for each trip to see that these two ports are over streched. The relaunch of the Cymru to Cork ferry would not only take the pressure off the aforementioned ports but would make economic sense in regards to exporting Cymric produce and in regards to strengthening tourism ties between the Western parts of both Cymru and Ireland.

At present, if any foot passenger travelling from Abertawe/Swansea and other West Cymru areas wishes to visit Cork or any of the surrounding areas, it means a train trip to Fishguard to catch a ferry to Rosslare. They will then find that there is no direct train from Rosslare to Cork and that they have to catch a coach to Waterford and another to Cork, and that is, if they are fortunate enough to arrive at Rosslare in time to catch a coach because the ferries and coach timetables are certainly not coordinated for convenience. The alternative is an expensive taxi fare or paying for a nights accommodation in Rosslare and, please believe me when I state that the choice for accommodation in Rosslare is very minimal.

When discussing the proposed plan for the Abertawe/Swansea to the Southwest of England Ferry, Rob Stewart, the leader of Abertawe/Swansea Council, said that he was keen for Abertawe/Swansea’s maritime history to be revitalised. Well, I would suggest that the most efficient and quickest way to achieve that is for our Welsh Government and Abertawe/Swansea Council to re-enstate the necessary funding needed to re-launch the Abertawe/Swansea - Cork Ferry. We already have a wonderful facility for such in Abertawe/Swansea, and, in recent years,thousands of millions of pounds has already been spent on regenerating the docklands area into a wonderful Abertawe/Swansea Bay with an enlarged Marina facility and plenty of prestigious hotels and restaurants, and also now, a sparkling new Theatre Arena and bridge which conveniently connects the Abertawe/Swansea Bay area to the town. So why on earth would any Tourism Department, politician or abled economist want to shoot themselves in the foot and fund another project which would take money out of Abertawe/Swansea and the Cymru economy?

For those from the Abertawe/Swansea area wishing to visit Cornwall and Devon and other areas of South West England, the pleasure steamer Balmoral and paddle steamer Waverley have already, for many years, offered occasional summer sailings across the Bristol Channel, stopping at Abertawe/Swansea and Ilfracombe in North Devon, amongst other places so, please, may I, appeal, in earnest to the Cymru Government, Abertawe/Swansea Council and the equivalent bodies on the Cork end, that if they wish to boost the economy of Abertawe/Swansea, Cymru and Western Ireland whilst at the same time revitalising our connected maritime histories and Celtic connections, that they invest in relaunching the much needed Abertawe/Swansea to Cork Ferry without any further delay.

Siân Ifan

Mae'r pwnc yma'n bwysig iawn i economi Abertawe, Cymru ac i ddyfodol Annibyniaeth i Gymru, felly, pasiwch mlaen mor eang â phosib.

This issue is crucially important to the economy of Abertawe, Cymru and Cymric Independence so please pass on as far and as wide as you possibly can.