B& I ferry bomb shell for Rosslare Harbour

November 1987

Rosslare is to lose one of its ferry services with the closure of the B&I route to Pembroke in Wales. The announcement was made this week as part of an overall package to restore the shipping line to profitability.

The loss of the service is a major blow to the Co. Wexford port. Apart from the job losses involved on shore and at sea, the pull-out is certain to hit the economy of the area.

Rosslare Harbour Development Committee is due to meet next week and is certain to condemn the move. A meeting of the Wexford Tourism Council is also to be called, while the B&I decision is also likely to be high on the agenda of all local authority meetings in Wexford in the coming weeks.

The effect in Pembroke will be as severe as in Rosslare, and ironically, the move was announced on the day that a deputation from Pembrokeshire District Council was in Wexford to meet their counterparts here.

While formal details of the closure and what will follow have not yet been announced, it is believed that a new management between the semi-state company and Sealink is to be operated at Rosslare.

This will involve the use of one larger ship, replacing both the Sealink’s ‘St Brendan’ and B&I’s ‘Innisfallen’, to link Rosslare and Fishguard. The ship is expected to provide two round trips between Pembroke and Wales every day all year round, with improved facilities for passengers.

But such an agreement is likely to satisfy few people in Wexford and Rosslare. The port is losing a ferry link at a time of increased pressure on the area. Irish Continental Lines are up for sale and many of the interested buyers are from abroad. There is a fear that the new owners may not have the same loyalty to the area.

There are also fears that the new £4.7 million CIE package for Rosslare could be threatened by the B&I pull-out. If Irish Continental Lines were also to go, the need for improved facilities may not be so great and the development may not go ahead.