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Latest Ferry NewsThe latest ferry news for August 2005 is below:
Irish Ferries shortlisted for Shetland and Orkney tenderDate: 31 Aug 2005Source: Irish Independent Irish Ferries shortlisted for Shetland and Orkney tender - The Irish Independent says that Irish Ferries, the UK and continental European ferry operator owned by Irish Continental Group, has been shortlisted to provide a North Link ferry service between the northern coast of Scotland and the Shetland and Orkney islands. Irish Ferries was one of a large number of operators asked to tender for the ferry service, which currently operates three times daily from Scrabster on the northern tip of Scotland to Stromness on Orkney Island. In addition, there is a nightly service from Aberdeen to Lerwick in Shetland and there are four sailings daily to Kirkwall, the capital of Orkney. Irish Ferries must be seen as a front runner to win the operator's contract for the service from next April, but it is up against tough competition. It is understood to be in competition with V Ships and the existing operator Caledonian MacBrayne, which sails to 22 islands and four peninsulas on Scotland's West Coast. Pair eye Portsmouth Le Havre Ferry RouteDate: 30 Aug 2005Source: Lloyds List Two companies have declared their interest in starting ferry services between Le Havre and Portsmouth following the closure of the existing P&O service at the end of September. Louis Dreyfus Lines, shortsea arm of Paris-based Louis Dreyfus Armateurs, has said that it is currently looking for a ship with a view to launching a one-ship ro-pax service on the route. And the British group, Aquitaine, which is present in the ferry sector via its online ticketing subsidiary, KMW Travel, has said that it is talking to the port of Le Havre about launching a service under the name Aquitaine Seaways. The port of Le Havre authority, which issued a call for projects at the start of June, says that it has received several proposals but that it is not yet ready to give details. A spokeswoman said: “We don’t exclude a multi- operator solution but, for the moment, we are giving no information either on the proposers or their projects.” “We are doing everything we can to assure continuity of service,” she added. Aquitaine, which is based in Essex and is involved in television production and retailing as well as ticketing, is reported to be ready to start a service, using the 1980-built Regina Baltica, a 1,500-passenger vessel owned by Hansatee Shipmanagement in Estonia. The group could not be contacted on Friday but in a website press release, chairman and chief executive Kieran Woodbury said that the group was ready to offer two sailings daily, including one at night, using two chartered vessels. He said the route was viable, with annual profits running in excess of £50m ($90m), but indicated that the group was looking for expressions of public support before proceeding with the project. “I am not fully expecting the bid to be successful on this occasion but the formalities we have to go through will hold us in good stead for the future when P&O denounce their services from Dover-Calais which could be in as little as a few years,” he said. Louis Dreyfus Lines is preparing to start a ro-pax service, comparable to the one it launched at the start of the year between Toulon and Civitavecchia. The company has indicated that it is looking to start a one-ship service initially, giving priority to freight customers but offering some passenger accommodation. A company source said that the company was looking for a ship with a view to starting a service at the start of October but added: “Nothing is fixed for the moment.” One of the possibilities envisaged at the port of Le Havre is the creation of an all-year freight service and a seasonal fast ferry service during the summer. It is not yet known if a fast ferry operator has come forward with a proposition. Representatives of the port community are due to meet with their counterparts from Portsmouth to discuss the future of ferry links between them this week. Le Havre - Portsmouth Route attracts interestDate: 26 Aug 2005Source: Aquitaine AQUITAINE, a UK-based communication and travel group, is rumoured to be interested in launching a passenger ferry service between Le Havre and Portsmouth. Sources told Fairplay a service could be launched in spring 2006. The company would deploy a 1,500-passenger vessel - thought to be the 18,345gt Regina Baltica - to be chartered from Estonian operator Tallink, under the name Aquitaine Seaways. Two daily rotations would be provided between the French and English ports. While Aquitaine would focus on passengers, French company Louis Dreyfus has confirmed plans to launch a ro-pax service on the same route, focusing mainly on rolling freight. Le Havre port authority said the ferry terminal would have no problem in accommodating two operators; its main objective is to maintain cross-Channel activity from the port. P&O Ferries will withdraw from the Le Havre/Portsmouth service on 30 September. Stena Line bans Footpassenger travelling football supportersDate: 24 Aug 2005Source: BBC News Stena Line has banned Glasgow Rangers supporters travelling as foot passengers from its sailings between Northern Ireland and Scotland. The ferry company said it had taken the decision following trouble involving supporters on a sailing on Saturday. Trouble broke out as Rangers and Celtic fans returned from an Old Firm derby match, which Rangers won 3-1. Rangers said indefinite and lifetime bans would be considered against anyone who brought the club into disrepute. Jim McGreevey, whose mother was on board the ferry on Saturday, said that she had been terrified by the sectarian behaviour. "The supporters, they weren't even singing football songs, it was about killing Catholics, and named Catholics that have been shot dead," he told BBC Radio Ulster's Nolan Show. "Then one of the Stena Line staff came down and asked them to be quiet, this seemed to up the ante and they just got out of control." 'Loutish' behaviour The ban will cause problems for Rangers fans next Wednesday as the team is due to play in a Champions League qualifier in Glasgow. Stena Line said the ban would begin immediately, but would not affect those who travel with clubs, most of which travel by bus and are registered. The ban will only apply to individuals or small groups who are not registered as clubs and travel as foot passengers. It said those involved in the "loutish behaviour" were a minority of Rangers supporters, but that such behaviour would not be tolerated. "We are taking this action for the well being of all our passengers, many of whom are families with children, and none of whom should be subjected to sectarian or offensive behaviour," it said. "We would also like to point out that every week, Stena Line carries thousands of supporters on its five Irish Sea routes to soccer and rugby matches in Scotland, England and Wales - without incident." In a statement, a Rangers spokesperson said the club was "unaware" of the incident on Saturday and had not been contacted by Stena Line. "The club vigorously promotes its Pride Over Prejudice initiative which appeals to fans to show respect and courtesy to the general public whilst travelling to and from matches on public transport," it said. "It is unfortunate if those who don't participate in sectarian behaviour also find themselves affected by the unacceptable behaviour of a minority." Suspended ferry service resumesDate: 19 Aug 2005Source: BBC News A ferry service suspended on Thursday because of safety fears over its fleet has restarted after two of its vessels were given the all clear. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) withdrew the safety certificates for Wightlink's four Fastcat ships after fires on board went unreported. On Friday evening, the agency confirmed two ships had passed safety standards. Wightlink said it was running a full service from Portsmouth to Ryde with the two vessels. A spokeswoman for the firm said: "We have worked non-stop to put in place the documentation and reporting and other procedures requested by the MCA." She said the company apologised to passengers for any inconvenience. On Thursday, the MCA had said the Portsmouth to Ryde Wightlink Fastcats posed "a risk of serious danger to safety of life and property". It said the company needed to take corrective measures. Mark Clark, a spokesman for the MCA, said withdrawal of the international safety management document of compliance and safety management certificates followed two unreported engine fires on board one of the vessels. They happened on 12 and 13 May, but were only discovered by the agency at the end of July, he said. A subsequent inquiry raised serious safety concerns about the rest of the fleet, he continued. Channel Island ferry problems blamed on bad luckDate: 17 Aug 2005Source: BBC News The general manager of a Guernsey ferry company says the recent problems with its fleet are unprecedented in his 20 years with the company. Passengers have experienced delays with all three of the high-speed ferries suffering problems. Condor described the spate of technical problems as an "extraordinary and unavoidable coincidence". The company said on Wednesday that it was hopeful that normal service would be restored later in the day. Regular maintenance The Guernsey to St Malo route has been running behind schedule, with the vessel the Vitesse operating on reduced power. A fault in a spring drive was expected to be fixed on Wednesday. Mechanical problems with the fleet's Number 10 are now thought to be repaired, while the Condor Express has been suffering problems with its cooling system. General Manager Jan Milner said: "We dry dock them for a major service every 12 months and they undergo a constant round of minor services overnight. What happened was extraordinary." "If we didn't service them and carry out regular maintenance it would be a lot worse." Mr Milner said he was satisfied with the company's back-up and maintenance programme. P&O 'on track' to improve profitsDate: 11 Aug 2005Source: BBC News UK ports and ferries operator P&O has unveiled a sharp dip in first-half earnings, but said it spied a strong profits recovery on the horizon. Pre-tax profits were £30.6m, down from £53.4m at the same time last year, in line with market forecasts. P&O has been selling properties and slashing jobs at its loss-making ferry operations as part of a shake-up. Now it says it is "on track" to improve profits from its ferries by £50m a year from 2006 after restructuring. The company was forced to rethink its strategy as budget airlines and the Channel Tunnel eroded its market share. Over 1,000 job losses were announced in 2004 and P&O has since cut back on routes. The final P&O voyage from Portsmouth to Le Havre will set sail at the end of next month. Safely stowed P&O's property disposal programme is ahead of schedule, the firm said, and revenue from the sell-off is expected to reach £400m this year, ahead of its target of £325m. In June, the company offloaded its 25% stake in Dutch shipping company P&O Nedlloyd, leading to a £187.9m one-off gain. Group operating profit from continuing operations fell to £78.4m, down from £96.7m last year. Strong growth at Asian ports had offset more sluggish economic conditions in the UK and Australia, the company said. Losses were narrowed at its cross-Channel ferry operations, though its performance was hampered by disruptions at the French port of Calais. Difficult berth Berthing problems at Calais meant 14% of sailings had to be cancelled. Passengers faced weeks of delays after a gangway rope collapsed. Further problems were caused by striking SeaFrance crews who blocked access to one of the docks. Meanwhile, higher fuel prices increased cost by £4m. In July, P&O announced that the government was close to backing its plans for a £1.5bn container port and logistics centre near London. P&O said earnings for the full year were on target to meet market forecasts. "The overall outlook for the second half is positive," said chief executive Robert Woods. "For the group as a whole, excluding property and container shipping, operating profit is anticipated to grow strongly for the full year compared to 2004." Jersey most popular with the French touristDate: 3 Aug 2005Source: BBC News New ferry passenger figures show 80% of French tourists are choosing Jersey over Guernsey. It means millions of pounds in lost tourism revenue for the island and experts say a lack of day trip offers could be to blame. Tourism bosses hope Guernsey's new Manche Isles Express services will redress the balance. The new ferry link was launched in April between the Channel Islands and France to boost tourism ties. |
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