A hydrogen-powered ferry service across the Bristol Channel is being explored by a council in Wales. Swansea Council has held initial meetings with officials in Devon and Cornwall about the idea.
It's hoped the service would boost tourism in the West Country. The proposals would need to identify whether seaside towns in Devon and Cornwall could accommodate ferries, but could be that interested parties make a joint bid for funding in the future according to WalesOnline.
Rob Stewart, the leader of Swansea Council, said: “This would be a massive boost for tourism and business – to think you could cut your travel time to Devon and Cornwall by half, and of course, it would have environmental benefits too: taking cars off the road and introducing green-powered ferries.”
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Mr Stewart, who is running again at the May 5 council elections, said he is eager for Swansea's maritime history to be revitalised. Large ferries once sailed between Swansea and Cork, but the service stopped just over a decade ago.
It's not the first time a Bristol Channel ferry network has been proposed. A fast catamaran service capable of taking 360 passengers was planned by a company called Severn Link, with trips taking 50 minutes between Swansea and Ilfracombe.
Plans for a year-round service were drawn up in 2010, but they didn't materialise. Speaking at the time, Severn Link founder and chairman Chris Marrow said: "There is no question a lot of people are spending their holidays in the UK at the moment and in many ways, I think it's the absolute ideal time to be starting."
Several boats such as the pleasure steamer Balmoral and paddle steamer Waverley have provided periodic summer sailings across the Bristol Channel for many years, stopping at Swansea and Ilfracombe in North Devon, among others.
Hydrogen generated by renewable energy would be a major breakthrough for the transport sector, which is the largest emitter of greenhouse gases by industry in the UK. There are also plans in place for hydrogen to be produced at the Blue Eden project at Swansea docks - a 12-year energy, housing and research initiative that includes a tidal energy lagoon, battery manufacturing and solar farm.
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