|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
          |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Latest Ferry NewsThe latest ferry news for May 2008 is below:
Rosyth Zeebrugge link to stop in SeptemberDate: 29 May 2008Source: Superfast Ferries Superfast Ferries have announced that the Rosyth to Zeebrugge ferry service will cease operation from 14th September, 2008. The last crossing will take place from Rosyth on 13th September 2008 arriving in Zeebrugge the following morning. As per the company’s fleet deployment plans for next year, the vessel Blue Star 1 will be redeployed as of the coming winter in the markets where Attica Group’s vessels are presently operating. Attica Group has had discussions with the Scottish Government and Forth Ports for the future of the line and has assured them that we shall provide all information and assistance required to operators who may wish to take up the route. DFDS Seaways axes Newcastle - Norway routeDate: 27 May 2008Source: Lloyds List DFDS Seaways is to close its Newcastle to Norway ferry route. The Queen of Scandinavia, which was brought into the route in 2006 will cease operations in September 2008, affecting 270 onboard staff as well as land based employees in the UK, Norway and Denmark. 'The results in 2007 fell well short of expectations and the current financial development has fallen below the level required to continue operating the service,' said UK managing director, John Crummie. He cited increasing oil prices, over capacity in the travel market and the economic slowdown as major contributors to the decision. The other routes operated by DFDS Seaways remain unaffected. New fast ferry for Isle of Man serviceDate: 22 May 2008Source: Lloyds List Isle of Man Steam Packet has reached an agreement to buy a large fast ferry for the Liverpool to Douglas route with a total project cost of nearly £20m ($39m), writes Sandra Speares. The new vessel, currently named Incat 050, will replace Isle of Man Steam Packet’s existing fast craft Viking. The 96 m catamaran will be the largest of its type operating on the Irish Sea route and will increase passenger capacity to more than 800, compared with Viking’s 690 passengers. The vessel will have a vehicle capacity of 200, and freight capacity of over 225 l m. The wave height restriction is 3.5 m compared to Viking’s 3 m, and a service speed of 35 knots will cut journey times by about 15 minutes on the Douglas to Liverpool and Douglas to Heysham routes on which the vessel will also be deployed. Incat 050, pictured, was built in Tasmania in 1998 and has been chartered to the US military in recent years, which means it has considerably fewer hours of service than comparable vessel of similar age. After an extensive refurbishment the vessel will enter service in summer 2009. French action - Ferries haltedDate: 22 May 2008Source: Lloyds List Ferry services out of Calais and Dunkerque were halted yesterday as French fishermen intensified their countrywide campaign for government aid to help them cope with rocketing diesel fuel prices. As fishermen’s leaders in Paris demanded government action yesterday morning to reduce the price of diesel fuel from €0.70 ($1.10) to €0.40, 80 fishing vessels moved into position to block access to the ferry terminal at France’s leading passenger port. There was similar action at the neighbouring ports of Dunkerque, France’s third-ranking cargo port, and Boulogne-sur-Mer, the country’s leading fishing port. At Dunkerque, a spokeswoman said all traffic, including the Norfolkline ferry service to Dover, was at a standstill as fishing boats blocked port accesses. The action in northern France added to the blockades mounted by the fishermen at numerous oil depots and ports along the west and Mediterranean coasts to coincide with the meeting in Paris between their leaders and agriculture and fisheries minister Michel Barnier. In Paris itself, four police officers were hurt, three of them seriously, in clashes between police and 300-400 fishermen near the ministry building where the meeting was taking place. The fishermen launched smoke bombs, distress flares and other objects in the direction of police, who blocked access to the ministry. One of the police officers hurt was understood to have been hit in the leg by a flare. The meeting between fishermen’s leaders and Mr Barnier was suspended in late morning after the fishermen insisted the minister meet with President Nicolas Sarkozy and prime minister François Fillon to obtain authorisation for measures to meet their demands. Yesterday afternoon, the fishermen said they would not leave the ministry until they had obtained satisfaction, calling on the government to put pressure on the oil companies to bring the fuel price down. Mr Barnier had proposed improving on a €310m aid plan announced in January, but the fishermen said this would not save their profession from being suffocated by recent fuel price rises. Irish Ferries launch May offers with reduced faresDate: 16 May 2008Source: Directferries.co.uk To capitalise on the current buoyant ferry travel market, Irish Ferries has launched its best ever offers with substantial savings for couples and families travelling by car to Ireland during the period 18 May – 30 September. For a couple, the new lead-in motorist price for a one-way, midweek cruise ferry crossing from either Holyhead to Dublin or Pembroke to Rosslare is £79, with children now travelling free. To qualify for the savings, bookings must be made by 21 May. Said Declan Mescall, head of passenger sales, 'We are determined to further confirm our position as the ‘Low Fares Ferry Company!’ and this special offer makes Irish Ferries the best value option for crossing the Irish Sea this summer.' 'But holidaymakers should remember that low fares doesn’t mean cheap and nasty. We operate the most modern fleet on the Irish Sea routes and are continually striving to make sure that our customers’ experience is one that they’ll want to repeat and which adds to the overall enjoyment of their holiday.' For more information or to make a booking, please visit our Irish Ferries page. Steam Packet scour world for new vesselDate: 2 May 2008Source: IOM Today Steam Packet executives have docked in Tasmania as their search for a new vessel takes them around the world. It is understood that they are considering buying this ex-US Army catamaran, currently berthed at the state capital of Hobart where it is being converted back into a car and passenger ferry. Today's Manx Independent reveals that it understands that negotiations for a possible purchase are at a very early stage and talks to acquire other vessels at four or five locations around the world have previously come to nothing. Steam Packet bosses have declined to comment. At 99 metres in length and with a top speed of 40 knots, the HSV-X1 Joint Venture is bigger and faster than the Steam Packet's other catamaran, the Snaefell, and about the same size and speed as the Viking. Built by Incat of Tasmania, which also built the Snaefell, she operated as a commercial ferry for TT-Line as the Devil cat before being converted for military use, initially for service with the United States Navy before being transferred to the United States Army. A flight deck was added to land helicopters and she could carry 325 combat personnel and 400 tons of cargo. She was handed back to Incat earlier this year ahead of a refit. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||
