UK ferry company closes without starting operations

Belfast, UK-based shipbuilder Harland and Wolff has confirmed that its subsidiary Scilly Ferries has ceased operations because of the need for the parent company to refocus on its core business functions.

Harland and Wolff said that, as its new board assesses all aspects of the group’s activity, the ferry operation was identified as "being overly ambitious given the current circumstances." The company has therefore decided to withdraw support for this operation, believing it to be in the best interest of the group.

The company said that all customers with existing reservations on the fast catamaran ferry Atlantic Wolff will be contacted directly and that all staff affected have been advised. The vessel will also be returned to its manufacturer in the Netherlands.

Harland and Wolff Marine Services (HWMS), which provides carriage of freight between the mainland and the Isles of Scilly, as well as workboats for projects across the UK and Europe, will continue its operations unaffected, the company assured.

Scilly Ferries was originally scheduled to commence operational sailings of Atlantic Wolff in May of this year. However, the ferry did not arrive in the UK until July and has not been able to transport passengers since then.