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Latest Ferry NewsThe latest ferry news for August 2008 is below:
New £90 million luxury ship for Brittany FerriesDate: 11 Aug 2008Source: Lloyds List Brittany Ferries launched its new luxury cruise ferry in Helsinki yesterday. Due for delivery in December, the Armorique will enter service in March 2009. The £90 million ship has been specifically designed for use between Plymouth and the pretty Breton port of Roscoff and is named after the national park in Brittany. This new vessel will be able to carry 1,500 passengers and over 500 cars. It also boasts environmental benefits in terms of fuel efficiency and minimising CO2 emissions. Managing director David Longden praised the comfort and style of the new ship, saying the design theme 'reflects the colours and space of Brittany to give this ship a very modern feel'. 'One of the great luxuries when travelling nowadays is space and, whilst this commands a huge premium when travelling by air, it is something that all passengers on Armorique will be able to benefit from,' he continued. The ferry has the same hull as the most recent addition to the fleet, Cotentin, which entered service last year on the Poole-Cherbourg and Poole-Santander routes. Dover Port to expandDate: 10 Aug 2008Source: Dover Port The Port of Dover, in Kent, has announced plans to build a second ferry terminal at the Western Docks, which will feature four ferry berths. The £420 million expansion is due to begin in 2010 with the terminal set to open in 2013 or 2014. The Port of Dover is one of the world’s busiest international ferry ports and the growth in passenger travel and freight volumes looks set to continue. Ongoing investment projects include a £4 million scheme to improve traffic flows for vehicles exiting the Port of Dover’s ferry terminal and local traffic heading for the A2. Construction is due to start in April 2008, with completion planned for March 2009. Holidaymakers Find Ferry Travel Less RestrictingDate: 7 Aug 2008Source: holidayhypermarket.co.uk Ferry travel is becoming increasingly popular with families because many find this transportation method a lot less restricting than if they were flying, a family travel specialist has suggested this week. Research by Take the Family, an information source for hand-picked family holidays in and around the UK, revealed that travellers enjoy the ability to wander around the boat. Lucy Ace, managing director of Take the Family, noted that the ferry had the edge over flying for children because even though both provided excitement, there was much more on offer on a ferry. She continued: "On some routes you can take cabins or join in with on-board entertainment, all of which help to make the whole experience much less stressful. "You can walk around stretching your legs and getting rid of some of that built-up energy." The Shipping Times revealed in April that the Easter holidays provided a boom for the ferry market. Giant Channel ferries orderedDate: 6 Aug 2008Source: ybw.com Two new ferries ordered today by P&O will be the largest ships ever built for the Dover-Calais service. They will be 210m long and will be the first Channel ferries designed to manoeuvre under their own power in 50-knot winds. Two existing ferries on the route will be replaced by the new ships which will be capable of carrying 2,000 passengers plus a greatly increased number of trailers and cars. The 49,000-tonne ships will be built in Finland and will enter service in December 2010 and September 2011. St Petersburg to Helsinki ferry route resumesDate: 5 Aug 2008Source: Directferries.co.uk Some three years since the last time the route was operational, the first Stella Lines ferry set sail from St Petersburg for Helsinki this weekend, it has been revealed. The St Petersburg Times reports the relaunch of the 11-hour passenger route, which includes the option of cabin accommodation. Each journey provides capacity for up to 400 cars and 1,860 passengers on Stella Lines' ferry, Julia. Vice-governor of St Petersburg Igor Molchanov told television broadcaster Mir that arriving by ferry offers a simpler process than driving between the cities. This is due to the complexities of driving through customs when on the road, the St Petersburg Times reports him as saying. Helsinki has this week played host to the ninth running of the URB festival, which is due to last until August 10th. International guests and Finnish performers feature in the event, which is accompanied by a programme of workshops and exhibitions. For more information, or to make a booking between Helsinki and St Petersburg, please visit our Stella Lines page. New Rosyth ferry crossing deal just days awayDate: 1 Aug 2008Source: www.dunfermlinepress.com A deal for a replacement ferry operator to take over from Superfast could be just days away but the Scottish Government wants a daily service reinstated. Speculation is growing that an announcement will be made next week but there are still issues over government subsidies and service frequency. Despite it being profitable, Superfast reduced the Euro-ferry from Rosyth to Zeebrugge to every other day in 2005 and it’s understood the Scottish Government wants two ships on the route. This could favour the Dutch outfit credited with an interest in taking over as opposed to John White, who was given the contract for the Norway-Zeebrugge-Rosyth ferry. He should receive confirmation of EU funding for that project within days. The operator in Holland – yet to be named – is believed to be able to take over from Superfast and offer a freight and passenger service when the Greek-based company pull out in September. Another vessel would follow next year which would reinstate the daily service ministers are clamouring for but it’s understood they may not give subsidies until two ships are operating on the route. There is a further sticking point about the suitability of the vessels and the possibility that dock alterations may have to be made to allow them to dock properly. To that end, it has been suggested that Forth Ports may even buy a boat to lease to an operator, or approach Superfast to lease their ship until a replacement is sourced. Forth Ports and the Scottish Government have been in talks with potential operators but spokesmen told the Press that “talks were ongoing”. Councillor Tony Martin, chair of Fife Council’s transport and environment committee, said, “I’ve got a meeting with the transport minister, Stewart Stevenson, on Wednesday and he’s going to update me on the ferry. “I’m hoping he’ll have something positive to tell me.” Superfast announced they were pulling the plug on the Rosyth Euro-ferry in May and the clock is ticking before the last sailing on 13th September. Shetland businessman Mr White had expressed an interest in expanding the Norshukon project – which was to be a freight-only service – to pick up the slack when Superfast leave. In June he told the Press, “Now that Superfast are pulling out we can say to the Scottish Government that we can extend the service we’ve already had approved.” But he’s yet to hear from the government and ferry expert Alf Baird said he would need a firm commitment within two weeks or he would lose out on vessels. He said, “Stewart Stevenson has to talk to an operator and get an agreement with some urgency. “Mr White’s charter options will probably be lost by mid-August as the demand for ferries is enormous. "He has to make a commitment on ships but the Government is playing a very risky game with consultants running about trying to talk to everyone but with no real outcome. “He’s offered a solution but they’ve not really reacted to that, which is a bit of a worry unless they’ve got an operator elsewhere. “It’s going to be a very nasty outcome if the service doesn’t continue as it will cost tens of millions to get it up and running again and to re-tender it. “And they’ve already lost hauliers who will go to ports down south now.” Mr Baird, who works for Napier University, told the Press that Mr White’s offer had seemed like “the perfect solution”. He said, “The requirement is for Stewart Stevenson to put in money to cover the start-up losses, which probably wouldn’t be vast as the route is fairly mature. “If he underwrites them, the losses would probably be less than 10 million Euros over two years, which isn’t enough to buy a couple of miles of roads.” And he added, “Further down the road, you’ll find tolls going on English roads – the UK government is now talking about it – which means it would cost more for hauliers to get to the southern ports.” |
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