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PLANS HAVE BEEN announced for an all-electric ferry service that will connect 17 locations across Cork City and Harbour.
Harbour Link today said it is in “advanced stages of planning” for Cork’s first passenger ferry service in over 100 years.
The all-electric vessels will connect locations such as Cork Docklands, Cobh, Spike Island and SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
Harbour link said this will provide “significant services on big-match days, alleviating traffic congestion and enhancing access to one of Ireland’s premier sporting venues”.
The company is in discussions with Cork City and County Councils and the Port of Cork in developing the initiative to transport daily commuters, local residents and tourists.
Harbour Link expects to lodge planning applications within six to 12 months, with a view to being operational by early to mid-2027.
The commuter service has planned frequencies of 30 minutes to the city in each direction and short-break tourists will be offered a 24 or 48-hour “Hop on Hop off” pass.
Harbour Link said it will make an €80million investment and that the all-electric vessels will “achieve a zero emission, low noise, low wake service”.
To achieve zero emissions, the company said the service will be powered through “local renewable energy providers”, such as solar panels
The commuter service has planned frequencies of 30 minutes to the city in each direction and short-break tourists will be offered a 24 or 48-hour “Hop on Hop off” pass.
“It will be able to operate at low speeds in restricted areas (to protect the environment & other river users), and yet have capability to achieve more efficient speeds in the open water areas of Lough Mahon and the lower harbour to give an efficient, comfortable, reliable scheduled service,” said a spokesperson.
Each vessel will have capacity for up to 300 passengers and will have twin decks and also rear open-air areas at the back on both decks, to give unrestricted views of the harbour sights.
The vessels will also be fully wheelchair accessible and equipped with bicycle and luggage racks, and will accommodate mobility and electric scooters.
A spokesperson also remarked that the “open decks are pet-friendly”.
Other services on-board will include a coffee-dock, toilets, and free Wi-Fi.
The company also plans to develop a Harbour Hub Terminus at Lynch’s Quay Cobh to act as a base for charging vessels.
However, the company remarked that the “primary infrastructure for the service is already in place”.
Aidan Coffey, founder Portus Greenway which trades as Harbour Link, said there is a “unique opportunity” in Cork to develop a “stylish yet sustainable mode of all electric zero emission ferry transport”.
“Cork has the unique unencumbered natural resource of the River Lee leading directly into the city,” said Coffey.
He said a lot of work has already been done on the design stages and consultations with the relevant authorities and stakeholders.
“This is a win-win from an environmental and public perspective,” said Coffey.
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