Full comparison inside the Isles of Scilly ferry price war

For over 100 years travel to the Isles of Scilly has involved a trip on the Scillonian from Penzance to St Mary’s and since the 1960s there has also been the option of air travel, first by helicopter and since 1984 by aeroplane.

With helicopter or plane travel becoming increasingly expensive, most visitors and islanders travel back and forth by sea. Until now, passengers had to sail aboard the Scillonian III. However, the sailing season is limited from March to November, after which the seas are too rough and dangerous for a ship to cross safely.

The Scillonian III, which will be replaced by the new Scillonian IV from 2026, is operated by the Isles of Scilly Steamship Group (ISSG), which had a monopoly for many decades. That monopoly could now seriously hit competition run by Scilly Ferries, a subsidiary of Belfast shipbuilder Harland & Wolff.

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H&W has been riding the wave of its plans to take the IOSSG on its own game for several months with a new passenger and cargo ferry of its own. H&W first announced its intention to build a cargo ship and a passenger ferry last year. The firm has since acquired local cargo firm KMS, which has been renamed Harland & Wolff Marine Services, providing two cargo vessels between the islands and mainland Cornwall.

After some delay, passenger catamaran Atlantic Wolff sailed from Portsmouth Dockyard to Newlyn ahead of her maiden voyage to the Isles of Scilly on Monday (July 22).

H&W has claimed for months that its ferry will be faster and cheaper than the Scillonian, taking an hour less than its rival’s 2.5-hour journey. H&W boss John Wood has been saying for months that the Atlantic Wolf will be cheaper than the Scillonian.