Six Co Wexford fishermen have bought a former P&O roll-on/roll-off ferry in a €10 million deal aimed at securing a transport route between Ireland and France. Lorna Siggins, Marine Correspondent, reports.
The six O'Flaherty brothers,from Kilmore Quay, Co Wexford, say that their €15 million annual fish export trade to France and Spain could have been in serious jeopardy if they had not decided to purchase the vessel themselves.
P&O Ferries closed the shipping route last December as part of a series of cutbacks within the British-based shipping company which resulted in the loss of 1,200 jobs.
However, the European Diplomat, the 16,500-tonne vessel sailing between Rosslare, Co Wexford, and Cherbourg has now been renamed The Diplomat in a deal secured in London late last week.
The ship plans to make its maiden voyage tonight from Rosslare under the ownership of the new Irish company, Celtic Ferries Link Ltd, which will trade as Celtic Link.
It is understood that the fishermen, who are major shareholders in the new venture, paid close to €10 million for the vessel.
The O'Flaherty brothers own 13 fishing vessels and a fish-processing company, Saltees Fish Ltd, in Kilmore Quay.
Two of the six are still working fishing skippers, two have commercial shipping experience with the former Irish Shipping Company and Irish Ferries, while Mr Denis O'Flaherty, the chairman of the board of directors of Celtic Link, formerly worked with Aer Lingus.
Mr Denis O'Flaherty said that, under the arrangement, P&O had been contracted to operate the vessel for the Irish company and will employ the crew which had been attached to the European Diplomat. The flag state will be Bermuda.
The chief executive of the new company is Mr Paul Tyrrell, from Tinahely, Co Wicklow.
The vessel will sail three times a week, all year round, and will be able to carry freight to the equivalent of 100 articulated containers as well as 120 passengers. It will also be licensed to carry livestock to Europe. Last year's loss of the P&O service had drawn protests from the Irish Farmers' Association over the impact on the livestock trade.
There is no ferry service between the south-east coast and France at present, and the row over the Irish Ferries staff lay-off on its vessel Normandy is currently before the Labour Relations Commission. The Irish crew of the Normandy has been paid off and replaced by Polish ratings and Estonian and Latvian officers, while the ferry, which is being overhauled in Belfast, has been re-registered in Bermuda.
The P&O service had been losing money, but Mr O'Flaherty said the group was determined to ensure that it would be profitable, with a mixture of both freight and passenger trade.
He emphasised that the family's fish export business depended on the sea route and pointed out that the new ferry service would be of major benefit to tourism and to other exporters.
The company had worked closely with the Irish Maritime Development Office, he said.
The initiative has been welcomed by the Maritime Institute of Ireland.
The Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources says that all certification for the new shipping service has been approved. Appropriate inspections would be carried out shortly in conjunction with the French authorities, a spokesman said.
The O'Flahertys depend heavily on Waterford Harbour for their fishing operations and they have voiced serious concern about the decision to sell off property within the port, which will effectively deprive fishing vessels of berths. Fishermen have been offered alternative facilities at Belview port terminal, but they say these are not suitable.