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Freight Ferry stopped after two months
The new Swansea to Cork freight ferry service has been suspended just two months after going into service.Hopes had been high that the service would tap into a lucrative market following the withdrawal of the Swansea to Cork passenger ferry.
Ammanford-born 61-year-old Hugh Johnson, founder of HJ Lines and managing director of Air Cargo Wales, had hoped to re-establish the route as a profitable one.
Mr Johnson told the Post: "There wasn't the support there.
"I thought the business might have been there, but much of it is tied up in Fishguard and Pembroke.
"Unless you can go head-to-head with the big boys, it wasn't sustainable."
The first voyage saw a mixture of horse boxes, cars, lorries and steel make the journey over the Irish Sea.
Other sailings were less full.
Associated British Ports confirmed the service had been suspended.
The HJ Lines Service was launched in March and was to sail three times a week, re-establishing a direct link between Swansea and Cork following the suspension of the passenger ferry service in late 2006.
Deputy port manager of Associated British Ports South Wales Clive Thomas had billed the new service as "extremely good news for the Port of Swansea."
This week he told the Post: "The service is not running at present.
"We are now in the process of talking to potential operators to take the route up.
"We have a number of people we are talking to and remain optimistic to get someone on the roundabout.
"Unfortunately, it wasn't to be for HJ Lines."
Asked if there was any likelihood of an announcement being made soon, Mr Thomas replied: "There are people showing interest in the round and hope to be able to put out some good news."
HJ Lines had offered the service because it believed there was a growing demand for increased freight capacity on the Southern Ireland and UK freight market route.
Mr Johnson said the service had lost money.
"We invested in it and started from scratch, but it wasn't going to go anywhere.
"It didn't work. I just walked away and paid everybody up."
Ammanford-born 61-year-old Hugh Johnson, founder of HJ Lines and managing director of Air Cargo Wales, had hoped to re-establish the route as a profitable one.
Mr Johnson told the Post: "There wasn't the support there.
"I thought the business might have been there, but much of it is tied up in Fishguard and Pembroke.
"Unless you can go head-to-head with the big boys, it wasn't sustainable."
The first voyage saw a mixture of horse boxes, cars, lorries and steel make the journey over the Irish Sea.
Other sailings were less full.
Associated British Ports confirmed the service had been suspended.
The HJ Lines Service was launched in March and was to sail three times a week, re-establishing a direct link between Swansea and Cork following the suspension of the passenger ferry service in late 2006.
Deputy port manager of Associated British Ports South Wales Clive Thomas had billed the new service as "extremely good news for the Port of Swansea."
This week he told the Post: "The service is not running at present.
"We are now in the process of talking to potential operators to take the route up.
"We have a number of people we are talking to and remain optimistic to get someone on the roundabout.
"Unfortunately, it wasn't to be for HJ Lines."
Asked if there was any likelihood of an announcement being made soon, Mr Thomas replied: "There are people showing interest in the round and hope to be able to put out some good news."
HJ Lines had offered the service because it believed there was a growing demand for increased freight capacity on the Southern Ireland and UK freight market route.
Mr Johnson said the service had lost money.
"We invested in it and started from scratch, but it wasn't going to go anywhere.
"It didn't work. I just walked away and paid everybody up."
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