THE grave effects of the loss of the ferry Barfleur to Poole have been spelled out by Poole Harbour Commissioners.

Giving his annual report at the year open evening, chief executive Jim Stewart pointed out a “real dip” in the number of ferry passengers from a high of 805,000 over a decade ago to 258,000 in 2010.

Brittany Ferries’ withdrawal of its Poole to Cherbourg ferry last year also led to a 10 per cent reduction in revenue, to £9million.

“It is disappointing,” he said, “The result of the loss of the Barfleur hit us quite hard.”

Passenger numbers for this year will be better, as a result of the ferry’s return from February to October but the port will not know until January if the ferry will be back next year, after Brittany Ferries delayed its decision.

“Brittany Ferries say it made a loss, despite numbers being better than expected,” he said. “We are hopeful it will still return – it may well be for a much shorter period.”

He said: “The golden days of the ferries are very much behind us. There are no more 15-year contracts with ferry companies. Now there is a one-year rolling contract.”

Other parts of the business were doing well, with bulk cargoes up by 50 per cent and Poole supplying more than 90 per cent of the traffic of the three Dorset ports.

“Poole Harbour has always been a working harbour,” said Richard Lacey, PHC chairman. “Change is endemic, change is healthy. We need to diversify.”

The commissioners are over half way through a 20-week consultation on their draft Port Master Plan, which includes the proposal for a 900-berth marine centre with possible sites at Poole Yacht Club at Hamworthy or an extension to the Poole Quay Boat Haven.

Attracting small cruise ships to the port is another important proposal and Bill Gibbons, director of the Passenger Shipping Association, gave a presentation on this growing tourism business.