{"id":1084083,"date":"2026-07-12T06:54:20","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T06:54:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1084083\/"},"modified":"2026-07-12T06:54:20","modified_gmt":"2026-07-12T06:54:20","slug":"new-15-bristol-channel-ferry-to-wales-would-be-nationally-significant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1084083\/","title":{"rendered":"New \u00a315 Bristol Channel ferry to Wales would be ‘nationally significant’"},"content":{"rendered":"

A new report has further argued the case for a high-speed ferry linking the South West<\/a> and South Wales via the Bristol Channel.<\/p>\n

The idea has been on the cards for years <\/a>and now more details have emerged about how it might run, with claims it could be feasible to start operating from 2030.<\/p>\n

It could cost as little as \u00a315 for foot passengers and take an hour if the proposed route between Ilfracombe in North Devon and Swansea is taken forward – although North Devon Council says there is “is a lot of work to be done” if the long-discussed plan is to become reality by then.<\/p>\n

Swansea Council first proposed the hydrogen-powered Bristol Channel crossing in April 2022 and said last year it would “move into the next stage of work” after a report made a “compelling” case.<\/a> The zero-emission ferry service is being championed to bring high value jobs, economic growth and environmentally conscious reindustrialisation for coastal communities like Ilfracombe and Appledore.<\/p>\n

The council commissioned Ocean Prime Industries Ltd to carry out a report looking at the demand. More than 4,300 people and organisations took part in a consultation with 98 per cent expressing support, DevonLive reports.<\/a><\/p>\n

It is believed that the service would be a “nationally significant” travel connection and would slash the journey time between the two regions, while cutting congestion on the M4.<\/p>\n

\"Ilfracombe<\/p>\n

Ilfracombe has the largest harbour on the North Devon coast(Image: Bethia Wyborn)<\/p>\n

The target operating model assumes 20 trips per day, operating 350 days per year (with a reduced service during periods of extreme weather and waves above 2.5 metres) with a 350 passenger capacity and 24-32 car capacity. Maximum speed for the ferry would be 60 knots with a cruising speed of 40 knots, which would be the fastest commercial ferry in the world as most conventional ferries travel at 20 to 30 knots.<\/p>\n

OceanJet Line’s report said that at full network maturity with a fleet of eight vessels, the annual visitor economy benefit to Swansea alone could exceed \u00a3600 million, subject to port access limitations, with similar pro rata benefit levels at participating ports across the network.<\/p>\n

Both North Devon Council and Torridge District Council said they were aware of the project but were not in detailed discussions about it and Ilfracombe Harbour would need “substantial investment”. Both said they remain open to and interested in the idea but “there have not been any detailed discussions”.<\/p>\n

Rob Stewart, leader of the city and county of Swansea Council, was optimistic about the report and said it will help inform the next stage of discussions with partners and potential investors. He said: \u201cIt\u2019s more than a transport connection, it offers the potential to strengthen economic ties with the South West of England, attract new visitors to the city, and support new industries linked to green maritime technology and hydrogen energy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dave Sampson, CEO of Ocean Prime Industries Ltd, said he believed this was \u201ca nationally significant strategic infrastructure initiative, on a par with HS2\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince I first heard about the Swansea ferry idea at a meeting on floating offshore wind in North Devon College in 2021 I have had conversations with hundreds of people on both sides of the Bristol Channel,\u201d he said. \u201cCommunities on opposite sides of the channel can see each other’s coastlines but cannot reach them. There is no scheduled passenger service connecting South Wales to Devon and Somerset.<\/p>\n

“A journey from Swansea to Ilfracombe that should take an hour by sea takes four or five hours by road, most of it on congested motorways that are nowhere near either coast. For the communities at each end, this is not a minor inconvenience, it is a structural barrier to employment, tourism, healthcare, education, and social connection that has persisted for decades.”<\/p>\n

He acknowledged the high tidal range of the powerful Bristol Channel meant the vessel would require specialist design and ports would need development, but suggested these are challenges that could be overcome.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A new report has further argued the case for a high-speed ferry linking the South West and South…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1084084,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[8818],"tags":[21470,381,748,393,4884,16,15],"class_list":["post-1084083","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bristol","tag-beaches","tag-bristol","tag-britain","tag-england","tag-great-britain","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116905698230869403","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1084083","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1084083"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1084083\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1084084"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1084083"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1084083"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1084083"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}