The fast ferry from Swansea to south-west England is “not a council proposal”, council leader Rob Stewart has told councillors, as opposition members ask what checks were made on the report behind it.
His written answers, published ahead of full council on 1 October, say the detailed design of the crossing “has not yet been finalised and remains under active development”.
The focus now, he says, is “proof of concept work”, developing the “technical, commercial and delivery model” and talking to “key stakeholders and funding bodies”.
Ocean Prime, the company behind the plan, has “reached out to a range of prospective partners across south Wales and West of England”, according to his answer.
The report behind the plan promised something more concrete: a small working prototype this year, and a first vessel in service by 2030.
“Does the council remain confident?” Councillors question the £24,999.95 report
Cllrs Matthew Bailey and Brigitte Rowlands asked what due diligence the council carried out before accepting and publishing the report. It was paid for with £24,999.95 of UK Shared Prosperity Fund money through the council, and it carries a foreword by the leader.
They said “a number of significant factual and technical questions” had been raised since it was published. They asked whether the council “remains confident in the report’s accuracy”, and how it would check the findings independently.
Cllr Stewart’s reply says the grant was made “in line with the criteria of the fund”, and that the report “does not commit the Council to any future investment or delivery decisions”.
Any detailed proposals would go through the council’s normal governance, he said, including “technical, financial, legal and commercial due diligence and independent assessment where required”. His answer does not say whether the council still stands by the report’s figures.
Those figures have been questioned before. On the report’s own numbers, its carbon saving works out at around a hundredth of the figure it claims.
It also named science fiction author Isaac Asimov, who died in 1992, as a supporter of a Minehead pier project. Ocean Prime did not respond when Swansea Bay News put those points to it in July.
From “an exciting project” to “not a council proposal”
It is the clearest line yet between the council and a crossing its leader has championed. In 2022, Cllr Stewart announced plans for a hydrogen ferry linking Swansea with Devon and Cornwall, calling it “an exciting project”.
In March this year, he said the consultation findings gave the council “confidence to move into the next stage of work”. His foreword to the report in July called the public response “remarkable”.
He has drawn a line before. At the July council meeting he stressed that the ferry was not a council-operated scheme, but one of many the council was supporting.
His latest answer still leans on the consultation. He says the research “commissioned on behalf of Swansea Council” found “strong public support”, with more than 4,300 responses and almost 98% in favour. The survey ran through the project’s own website.
“This venture is not a council proposal,” he said, “but clearly the council is committed to exploring transport solutions that could benefit the city and region economically.”
Where it docks, who pays and who sails it: still unanswered
Liberal Democrat group leader Chris Holley, who chairs the scrutiny panel, said in July he would call the report in, with Ocean Prime invited to answer for it. Almost three months on, that session has yet to take place.
He is one of the four councillors who asked for this latest update. The leader’s answer does not say where in the south west a ferry would berth, or who would fund a prototype.
When five of the biggest ferry operators in British and Irish waters were asked in July, none said it was considering a Swansea service. Associated British Ports said it would keep working with any interested parties.
Councillors can put follow-up questions to the leader at full council, at the Guildhall at 5pm on Thursday 1 October.
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