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Latest Ferry NewsThe latest ferry news for August 2007 is below:
How to travel to the Rugby World Cup by FerryDate: 28 Aug 2007Source: Directferries.co.uk The 2007 Rugby World Cup is just around the corner and with the majority of this years tournament taking place in France, there is no better way of getting to the games than by ferry! Thats why we have created a Rugby World Cup guide to give you all the information you need in order to plan your trip to the stadiums. For more information, please visit the following pages: - Rugby World Cup Guide - Rugby World Cup Fixture List - Travel to the Rugby World Cup by Ferry Great interest in Norse ferry linkDate: 28 Aug 2007Source: Shetland Marine News The project team behind a proposed new ferry link between Norway, Shetland and the UK mainland is re-advertising to allow more companies to express an interest in the service. Earlier this month, Norshukon managers reported that they had received four expressions of interests in their proposed ro-pax service. Yesterday (Monday) they published a new timetable, which they said was drawn up due to revised timescales for access to European subsidies. This has also allowed them to re-open the tendering process, they said. A statement from the consortium said: "The decision to re-open the process was also taken as a result of the large number of expressions of interest which were received after the initial deadline." Project managers were however unable to say precisely how many more expressions of interests had been received. Norshukon is a partnership between the Norwegian Møregruppen AS, Shetland Development Trust and the Shetland transport partnership ZetTrans. Møregruppen AS is a group of private and public bodies that is keen to create a ferry service linking the busy port of Kristiansund with a UK mainland port that would provide onward links to the European continent. That way large amounts of freight could be taken off the road and shifted to a "Motorway of the Sea". Shetland is involved in the project because islanders are keen to re-establish a link with their Scandinavian neighbours, which will be lost next month when the Faroese superferry Norröna visits Lerwick harbour on its regular schedule for last time. The project team hopes any shipping company interested in running the proposed service could tap into pots of European funding for services envisaged to start in 2009. Any companies keen to express their interest have now until 10 September to do so. Norshukon said that by 12 September invitations to tender would be issued to those shortlisted. The project partners hope to have a preferred bidder in place by the end of October. Poole clinches Brittany Ferries dealDate: 22 Aug 2007Source: Lloyds List THE UK port of Poole has clinched an important deal with the French ferry operator Brittany Ferries to operate its latest ferry Cotentin from the south coast hub. When it enters service in October, the vessel will be the largest and fastest freight ship on the Channel and will have cost £50m ($99m). With a capacity of 120 freight units and cabins for 120 drivers, the vessel will have two and a half times the capacity of Coutance, the existing vessel serving the route between Poole and Cherbourg. Cotentin will sail from Poole to Cherbourg during the week, but at the weekend will sail to Santander in Spain. Launched recently at Aker Shipyard in Helsinki, Cotentin is one of two new ferries nearing completion at the yard for Brittany Ferries. The total investment is £135m. The second vessel, to be named Amorique, is due to enter service at the end of 2008 and will be identical from the keel to deck five, but will carry passengers as well as vehicles. Both ships are 165 m loa, have a beam of 26.8 m and will have a service speed of 23 knots. David Longden, managing director of Brittany Ferries, said: “Prior to making the decision to operate our new freight ship from Poole to France and Spain, we considered a number of options, including other ports such as Portsmouth. “The agreement we have reached with the Poole Harbour Commissioners is a good one for both parties and we are delighted to be able to grow our presence there.” Jim Stewart, chief executive of PHC, told Lloyd’s List: “We are delighted with Brittany Ferries’ decision to operate the Cotentin from Poole, which demonstrates their confidence in the levels of service provided by the port of Poole. “Poole Harbour Commissioners have built up a close working relationship with Brittany Ferries over the years and we believe that this decision will substantially increase the volume of freight handledby the port and will strengthen futureties between the two organisations.” Brittany Ferries’ decision is particularly important to the harbour commissioners, since it justifies the port’s decision last year to deepen the approach channel into the port. Croatia urged to reform ferriesDate: 20 Aug 2007Source: Lloyds List AS Croatia prepares to enter the European Union, strategic reforms and structural change are necessary if the country’s ferry operators are to compete effectively, writes Sandra Speares. In a paper presented in the Maritime Policy and Management journal, Heidi Cottam, Michael Roe and Jonathan Challacombe of Plymouth University’s centre of international shipping and logistics say that Croatian fleets are suffering from “obsolete vessels with inferior technology, operating regional networks with point-to-point routings instead of global service activity”. According to the paper, EU enlargement “has changed the meaning of the Adriatic as a traffic corridor for tourism. “Today, Croatian maritime transport systems must be considered in relation to the interconnectivity of regional transit networks.” The paper urges Croatia to seek to improve the standard of passenger transport to that of the Single European Transport Policy. The paper also advocates a return to the cruise industry by Croatian shipping companies, initially by means of state concessions, but in the longer term through private funding and financing initiatives. The authors suggest that “Croatian operators should develop a modest fleet of contemporary cruise liners on the Adriatic, to niche markets that are not in direct competition with the leading operators”. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development agreed a €26.5m ($35.5m) loan to modernise the port of Dubrovnik at the beginning of 2005, to ensure that the port would be able to accommodate three 300 m ships at one time, although the authors say that more investment is needed to improve Croatia’s traffic network. While Croatia has the chance to move back into the international cruise market, the paper says, capital remains in short supply, as is the case with the short sea ferry fleet where investment has been limited. It recommends that short sea ferries “should now be directed towards the international cross-trades with increased emphasis on geographical and product niches”. Government support, the paper says, will be needed to “overcome the conflict between the interests of the shipping and tourism industries and that of the national citizen”. If you are interesting in travelling to Croatia by ferry, please visit our Ferries to Croatia page. Ferry plan link to UK and Norway attracts interestDate: 17 Aug 2007Source: Shetland Today 4 expressions of interest have been received for a new ferry service linking Shetland with Norway and the UK. Companies were invited to tender for the link when adverts were put out across the EU last month. The proposal for a "motorway of the sea" has been developed by a joint venture comprising Shetland Development Trust, ZetTrans and Møregruppen AS (a Norwegian public/private consortium). The aims of the service are to move significant volumes of freight by sea, rather than by road, between Norway and the UK and Norway and the continent (through a UK port, possibly Rosyth), and to increase tourism. The next stage of the process will involve the four companies who expressed interest in the scheme having to fill out pre-qualification questionnaires Tender documents for pre-qualified bidders will be sent out next Friday and they will have until 21st September to submit their proposals. It is expected that the preferred operator will be selected in October. The voyage distances involved suggest that a single vessel operating the service could do two full round trips a week. However, the vessel type, timetable, fare structure and UK port will eventually be decided by the bidders. Shetland Development Trust has paid £50,000 for a feasibility study, while other funding for the project will come from the EU Motorway of the Seas TEN-T (Trans-European Networks Transport) scheme and Marco Polo funding. Additional cash injections may be offered by Norshukon to the selected operator. Ferry operation manager Ken Duerden said: "Once we get a preferred operator on board we can find out exactly how the service will look. If we get an operator on early they can have a bigger impact on the specification." Shetland MSP, Tavish Scott, has welcomed the news that four ferry companies have expressed an interest in running the proposed Norshukon shipping link. Mr Scott said: "I was pleased to hear that four companies have submitted an expression of interest in running this service and that, as a result, the project is to move forward fast with a view to selecting a preferred bidder in October. "The cut this summer in the number of calls to Lerwick made by the Norröna has already had an impact on Shetland's tourist industry. Businesses tell me that they are noticing the drop in visitors. The ending of the service altogether next year will make matters even worse. So the prospect of an alternative ferry link to Norway is very welcome. "The extra sailings between Shetland and mainland Scotland will also benefit both tourists and Shetland residents. It will take some of the pressure off the NorthLink sailings which, as victims of their own success, now struggle to cope with the peak demand. "The Shetland Development Trust and ZetTrans have my full support in this important venture. I will certainly do what I can to help them to get it up and running." Combine the Holyhead/Dublin crossing with the new Dublin Port TunnelDate: 14 Aug 2007Source: Irish Ferries Holidaymakers and those visiting friends or family in Northern Ireland have a new viable self-drive travel option by combining the Holyhead Dublin ferry crossing with the new Dublin Port tunnel, says Irish Ferries, the low fares ferry operator. The tunnel connects direct – in around a six-minute drive – with the M1 motorway between Dublin and Belfast (104 miles), with easy access en route to the Mountains of Mourne and towns such as Dundalk and Newry. Irish Ferries operates sailings direct into Dublin port from Holyhead, with crossings either on the Dublin Swift – crossing time one hour 49 minutes - or the world’s largest car ferry, the Ulysses, which makes the journey in three hours, 15 minutes. Fares start from £69 for car and driver including all taxes and fuel charges. To book your crossing on an Irish Ferries ferry, please visit our Irish Ferries page. Head start for holidaymakers from P&O FerriesDate: 8 Aug 2007Source: P&O Ferries Head to Dover for a crossing to the Continent with P&O Ferries if flying rubs you up the wrong way. The company is soothing customers into holiday mode with its new head and neck massage service, provided by a team of professionals on board sailings to Calais. With a check-in time for motorists of just 45 minutes before departure, and luggage safely locked in the car boot for the 90-minute crossing, it’s proving increasingly tempting to sail away from the UK rather than endure the hassle of airports. For the budget conscious, P&O Ferries still has some night and early morning fares through August from just £40 each way for any length of stay, covering a car and up to nine people. To book a P&O Ferries crossing, please visit either our P&O Ferries or Dover Calais Ferry pages. £59 - Lowest Ever Autumn Fare From Irish FerriesDate: 5 Aug 2007Source: Irish Ferries Irish Ferries, the low fares ferry company, continues to challenge the low-cost airlines to Ireland with the announcement of the return, for the autumn, of its £59 one-way fare. This bargain fare - for car and driver - also has no hidden extras as all taxes and fuel charges are included. The company claims that recent comparisons have shown that airlines are struggling to compete with its prices with, in some cases, the equivalent air fare for a family of four being 40 per cent more than with Irish Ferries. Said Declan Mescall, Irish Ferries’ head of passenger sales: "In stark contrast to the hassle of travelling by air these days, our passengers can take as much luggage as their car permits and enjoy a leisurely check-in time of just 30 minutes. They can also sit where they wish on board and arrive at their destination feeling refreshed and relaxed... a far cry from the experience of many air travellers today." The £59 lead-in fare is available when booking at least 28 days before travel for the period 26 September - 20 December 2007. Lead-in between 27 August and 25 September is £69. For more information or book an Irish Ferries ticket, please visit our Irish Ferries page. |
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