Visitors sailing on the Waverley, which arrived in Penarth today, May, 28, have introduced a fuel charge from £2 to £4 – depending on how long you’re on board for – to help cover the rising fuel costs.
General manager Paul Semple told BBC Wales Breakfast this morning that the paddle steamer had “a big, big mountain to climb”.
Mr Semple explained that the ship uses a marine gas oil which has gone up in price by 65% since last season, which is an increase of £400,000.
While the fuel surcharge will go so far, Mr Semple explained that there will still be a significant shortfall.
He said “We want people to come and enjoy the ship, but we can’t put it all onto the customer.
“We’re very fortunate that people have so much affection for this steamship.
“It was mid-April when we introduced the surcharge and we immediately got donations made.
“People do really understand because we’ve tried to be as open as we can”.
Mr Semple told BBC Wales Breakfast that the ship steams approximately £13 of fuel per minute and sometimes, it is operating for 10 to 12 hours a day.
The Waverley costs around £13 per minute in fuel alone and typically spends 10 to 12 hours in steam each operating day.
According to Mr Semple, good weather can “make or break a season” and he explained that come the end of the season there will be “a few difficult decisions to make”.
If the price of fuel continues to go up, there could be a longer term risk to the ship as every off-season, resources are allocated to different refurbishment projects.
The Waverley will be in the Bristol Channel and South West Wales from now until Wednesday, June, 17.
The Waverley will be running trips from Penarth until Friday, June, 12, with a number of cruises to choose from.
These include the river Severn and under the bridges; Weston Bay and Holm Islands; North Devon and Lundy Island.
Later on in June, the steamer will arrive in Pembrokeshire.
On Tuesday, June, 16, the boat will sail from Milford Haven around Skokholn, Skomer, St Brides Bay and Ramsey Island.
An evening cruise around Caldey Island and the coast will depart from Tenby on the same day.
On Wednesday, June, 17, an evening cruise will also depart from Fishguard, visiting St Davids Head and the Strumble Head Lighthouse.
