According to figures published by the Passenger Shipping Association (PSA), the ferry industry in Britain experienced a significant rise in business last year.

In a report published this week, the PSA has announced that 34.94 million passengers hopped aboard ferries to and from Britain in 2010, representing a 0.4 per cent rise on the previous year. The number of cars travelling on ferries also increased, rising 0.3 per cent to 7.95 million. The most significant rise was recorded among coach travellers, with 142,660 coaches – 5.6 per cent more than in 2009 – taking to the sea last year.

Bill Gibbons, a PSA director, said: “Ferry operators have come to the rescue to serve both their and others’ customers in this freak weather year and even when road and rail connecting links were struggling in the December snow, ferry services were operating for all those who could get to the ports. With overall ferry traffic rising, we will see significant capital investment and new ships in 2011 along with new routes. The reliability, flexibility and value of ferry travel is now hitting home.”

Ferry travel across Britain’s 50 or so routes was stimulated in 2010 by the Icelandic volcano in April and adverse weather conditions in January, February and December.

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