News from www.bringbacktheswanseacorkferry.com! – 30th May 2008


Hi!

You were kind enough to sign the online petition at the bringbacktheswanseacorkferry.com website – and we promised we’d keep you up-to-date with developments in the campaign…

So near & yet so far!
Disappointing news reported on the website last week when it was revealed that we’d narrowly missed out on securing a ship for next season’s service. Several Irish groups had been bidding on the Christian IV, but, after lengthy negotiations and months of assistance from the Port of Cork, they were pipped at the post by a Russin operator – and the ship will now be running a service in the Baltic Sea (rather than the Irish Sea).
While this is a real shame, it does at least prove that more than one Irish company is interested in running the Swansea Cork service – we’re trying to contact these companies in order to offer them our assistance and support.

The website goes from strength to strength
We’re delighted at the response you’ve shown to our campaign – and we thank each and every one of you (more than 500 at the time of writing this) who have taken time to add your thoughtful comments to our e-petition.

We’ve had good coverage in Irish and UK press, and many websites and forums have helped us to publicise the campaign. ‘Hits’ on the website continue to climb on a daily basis – and we’ve had thousands of visitors from nearly 50 different countries.

Please let your friends, clients and colleagues know about the website – and ask them to show their support by leaving a message on the e-petition.

601 days and counting…..
Yesterday was an anniversary – though not the kind you’d really want to celebrate.
According to the live clock on our e-petition page yesterday,  it was 600 days since the Swansea-Cork ferry was suspended.

Many of you have asked the question ‘How difficult can it be to find a ship and restore the service ?”

Maybe that’s a question we should be asking of our local and county Councillors, and TDs. Contact details for the Irish representatives are on our new ‘Help Us!’ page – we’ll have all the email addresses up there very soon as well.

Please consider writing a short note to your own representatives – tell them that you’ve signed the e-petition, and ask them what they are doing to help get this essential service restored….

Please let us know what they say.

The boat that never was….
Do you remember the 1950’s movie called ‘The Man who never was..’ ? – all about counter-espionage deviousness during WW II.

Do you also remember the statements from Swansea Cork ferries back in 2006 – about selling their boat “We had intended to continue to operate the Superferry which we own for at least another year, but we were made a good offer, too good to turn down and accepted what is best for this company.” (source RTE Seascapes programme).

I was reminded of the Movie whilst studying the 2006 Accounts for Swansea Cork ferries – and their parent company Briarstar Ltd.
A number of people on our e-petition have asked ‘Where did the money go from the sale of the Superferry ?”
It was allegedly a sum in the region of €6.5m – so you wouldn’t think it was difficult to spot it….

Curiously, the 2006 accounts for both companies don’t seem to show the Superferry – either as an asset or as a source of cash

It now appears that the ship was probably leased, rather than owned – and that its sudden departure might have been the result of an inept attempt to renegotiate the lease with the owners.

Whatever the real facts of the matter, (and we may never know), I’d question whether it’s right that the actions of one company for their own peculiar ends should be allowed to have such a devastating impact on so many lives and businesses.

Shouldn’t our Government intervene ?

Please tell us what you think via the e-petition…

Signing off….
So – that’s all for now – but please do whatever you can to help us keep the campaign rolling – and, if you have the time, please drop a short note to your local representatives (see the Help Us page).

As somebody said in an email to me recently

I've got this lovely vision of us all down at Ringaskiddy next year - a huge crowd of us - waving and cheering as the new boat arrives on its first trip ............a lot of celebration!

Let’s all do what we can to make this come true !
Thanks for your help

Adrian Brentnall
www.bringbacktheswanseacorkferry.com

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