Tourist and shipping interests have called for Government intervention to prevent the closure of the Swansea-Cork ferry service which was estimated to be worth €35 million to the tourist economy in the south.
The company is making 30 staff redundant following its failure to obtain a ship to operate the service this year.
The ferry company sold the 35-year-old ship it had been operating last October, with the intention of buying a more modern vessel but has been unable to do so.
A €30 million deal for a ship fell through before Christmas and the company says it has been unable to buy or charter a ferry so there will be no service from Cork to Swansea this year.
Its annual operations were from March to January.
The International Transport Federation has called on the Ministers for Marine and Transport to intervene to prevent the loss of the service.
Tourist interests say the closure is a blow to the southwest, to where it had carried three million passengers over recent years.
