Ferry News Archive
British ferry routes on a steep upward curve
Date: 16 Jul 2007 00:00 Source: Lloyds ListFerry operations round Britain are thriving, according to the UK Passenger Shipping Association’s report on the industry.
Ferry passengers totalled 40.8m last year with shortsea routes from Dover to France increasing passenger numbers by 3.4% to 13.8m and services to the Netherlands and Belgium up 2.7% and 6.5% respectively.
The Belgian result was particularly noteworthy because it corresponded with a fall in air traffic from Britain of 4.2%.
Ferry companies have invested more than £1.25bn ($2.54bn) since 2001, both in newbuildings and in improving facilities on their ships, says the report.
Brittany Ferries is introducing a new £85m ferry, the Armorique, on the Plymouth to Roscoff route next year. This follows £200m worth of investment in the past five years.
For its part, Stena Line has spent £265m in recent years and has just completed a £70m project to stretch Stena Hollandica and Stena Britannica. A new fast ferry terminal for the line is set to open in Belfast next year, while Stena is collaborating with P&O to redevelop Cairnryan, where it plans to switch services from Stranraer next year. Other investment includes a £1.75m refit for the Stena Explorer.
Another line that has been investing heavily, DFDS Seaways, has spent £150m on its North Sea operations, bringing new tonnage on to the Newcastle to Amsterdam route, and moving Queen of Scandinavia to the Newcastle to Bergen service.
Wightlink is building two new ships for its Lymington Yarmouth route while P&O Ferries is investing £500m in its fleet over five years. Channel operator SeaFrance plans to buy a further ship later this year with other investors including Norfolkline, Red Funnel and P&O Irish Sea.
Advantages for ferries outlined in the report include facilities on board for children and the fact that passengers can take pets abroad. Charges for carrying pets vary from company to company, ranging from £30 down to free carriage.
More Ferry News from directferries.co.uk
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Date: 08 May 2012 Source: Brittany Ferries
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Date: 01 May 2012 Source: DFDS Seaways
Take your car by ferry to France with DFDS Seaways from Dover to Dunkirk or Calais from just £19 return.
Date: 01 May 2012 Source: P&O Ferries
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Date: 30 April 2012 Source: Toremar
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Date: 25 April 2012 Source: P&O Irish Sea
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Date: 18 April 2012 Source: Stena Line
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Date: 16 April 2012 Source: Irish Ferries
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