LD Lines: Service to Boulogne starts tomorrow Feb12.
- 11 February 2009 16:4315199Press Release : **************
LD LINES EXPANDS FERRY ROUTE NETWORK FROM THURSDAY 12 FEBRUARY AND CREATES NEW CROSS CHANNEL TRADING LINKS
Ferry operator LD Lines' official arrival into the highly competitive Dover Straits cross channel ferry market commences from tomorrow, Thursday 12 February, with the first commercial sailing from Dover to Boulogne at 0700am.
LD Lines begins its new Dover-Boulogne service almost five months ahead of schedule, from the previously announced 1 July 2009 start date, by introducing a conventional freight and passenger ship to the route.
The company has identified strong demand from tourist passengers and freight customers to bring forward the start of the Boulogne service, following the demise of previous Boulogne operator, SpeedFerries, in November 2008.
The day is also a significant milestone for LD Lines and the Port of Dover as a further new route is introduced between Dover and Dieppe, linking the South East of England port and the Normandy region of France with a direct ferry service, for the first time. Major new trading and commercial links are expected to be created with this new service and provide freight drivers and motorists with a saving of 250km drivetime, compared to driving from short sea cross channel ports, for onward destinations in the West and South West of France and Spain.
LD Lines also anticipates to ultimately create up to 100 jobs on both sides of the channel, as part of its Dover and Boulogne shore-based operations, as expected demand develops for both routes.
From 12 February two return sailings daily will be provided between Dover and Boulogne at 0700 and 1230 from Dover, returning from Boulogne at 1045 and 1615 (1800 on Saturdays), with a crossing time of 1 hour 45 minutes. One round trip daily will operate between Dover and Dieppe at 1800 from Dover, returning at 0200 from Dieppe, with a crossing time of 4 hours 15 minutes.
Built as recently as 2007, the ships introducing the new services will alternate between the "Seven Sisters" and "Cote d'Albatre" , both of which currently operate on the Newhaven - Dieppe route under the Transmanche Ferries name, part of the LD Lines network of ferry routes. The sister ships each have capacity for 600 passengers and 300 cars or 52 freight vehicles or combination of both.
With construction of the Port of Boulogne's new Hub Port Ro Ro terminal well advanced, as planned LD Lines will be inaugurating the new berth facilities with the addition of a second ship to the Dover-Boulogne route from 1 July 2009. Sailing frequency between Dover and Boulogne will then increase from two to six return sailings daily.
LD Lines cross channel ferry service network will now comprise four routes including Portsmouth - Le Havre ; Newhaven - Dieppe ; Dover - Boulogne and Dover - Dieppe, in addition to a direct ferry service between Le Havre and Rosslare Europort in Southern Ireland. LD Lines is owned by the Louis Dreyfus Armateurs Group, a leading French shipowner with over 100 years experience in the shipping industry, operating over 60 ships worldwide. For more information visit www.ldlines.comemail: dover7@msn.com - Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
11 February 2009 16:5315201thanks for the info.paul. - 11 February 2009 16:5915202Great stuff. I hear it won't be too long before they start taking footies too.
- Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
11 February 2009 17:0515204depends how quick dhb get there finger out and give them space in the travel center. - 11 February 2009 18:5215218Dont forget to watch for the new ship tomorrow. Exciting times, good to see something positive happening in the middle of this deep deep recession. Glad somebody has faith in the system. Go LD Lines...!email: dover7@msn.com
- 11 February 2009 20:1515238Are you going on it tomorrow Paul ? if so, I'll see you there.
Looking forward to tomorrow and the service itself, being able to tell everyoner about it.
We also need to promote Dover to the people around Boulogne (as well as Calais and Dunkirk), try to encourage them to come here.
Roger - 12 February 2009 17:3715281Good stuff - great pic of the new ship on the homepage - Allez Boulogne! Boulogne's the place!
- 12 February 2009 18:1915283Thanks Andrew..the light was behind the ship so it wasnt the easiest position to get a good shot but its not too bad. But it was up fast anyway.
Roger I couldnt spare the hours to go on that today as some other probs cropped up, but as you will have gathered by now ColetteB and Barry WS covered for me on there and hopefully it all went well.
Roger there is now an opportunity for the people of Boulogne and beyond to visit here as well as an opportunity for us to go there. Saw your feature in the paper today.
email: dover7@msn.com - 13 February 2009 18:2915372A good day yesterday; lovely ship, super service and good prices in the on-board shop, especially drinks. I'd certainly recommend it.
Some very useful contacts made. Contacts that can help promote Dover to the people of Boulogne, Le Touquet and other Towns nearby.
While the £ and the Euro are similar value we need to take advantage of it. Our local business are not having enough local customers to keep going so we need to try and get them from overseas and France is the best (and easiest) place.
Who will organise this ? who will pay for this ? who will translate this to French ? That's right - no one.
The feature in the Express was quite a positive one Paul, but didn't go far enough; I was kinda hoping it would have been a full page article, showing all the 21 (so far) areas of responsibility that a Dover Business Association should have - and of course the business survey.
Dover and the businesses here can't wait another 3, 6 or 12 months (or more) they need action now - we're not talking big manufacturing businesses as they have different needs, I'm referring mainly (but not excusively) to Town retail outlets - the shops, pubs, cafe's restaurants and others.
Roger - 13 February 2009 19:0715382i think that you are flogging a dead horse there regarding the language roger.
there is not even a sign anywhere in our shops,pubs or eating houses welcoming people from abroad.
incidentally, why don't our kids leave school speaking fluent french, we cannot get any closer to france without drowning.
there must be job opportunities there. - 13 February 2009 19:3515392Great news for jobs and opens up a route to a very attractive town. I know how much this means to you with your family connections Andrew.
- 14 February 2009 09:1715419It may be flogging a dead-horse as regards the public Howard - we are generally very lazy as regards languages, but I do think it is important that (retail) businesses here have someone who speaks French; it would certainly help their business if we can promote that fact to the people of Nord Pas de Calais etc.
Paula from Pitman Training put up a posting about money for training being available and I contacted her twice via email, but no reply and that's a local company.
The businesses here should also accept the Euro, especially with the £ and Euro being almost at parity.
There's great (business) advantages if you put yourself out a little.
There is so much I would love to be able to do, but can't.
Is it really all apathy ?
Roger - 14 February 2009 11:1815438Thanks Andrew. Yes, my family connections with Boulogne go back well over 100 years and run very deep. And with my brother Nick doing all the PR for LD Lines too, well, it's fantastic!
As my late dad (who was port manager for Sealink in Boulogne for many years) used to say: "Boulogne's the place." Quite right he was too.
Dover can learn a lot from Boulogne's renewed civic pride and cultural verve. Let's hope we heed those lessons this side of the drink.
Allez Boulogne et allez Douvres!
Andy - 14 February 2009 11:3315440I agree Howard. It's outrageous that our local kids aren't bilingual and that local shops and businesses aren't more visibly welcoming to French people (ie: signs in French and taking the euro etc).
This will have to change, surely. Little Englandism should be consigned to the dustbin of history. It's a big world out there! - Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
14 February 2009 12:5815450french should be tort from the age of 5 as they do with english on the continent. - 14 February 2009 13:1615452We had a fantastic day on Thursday covering the launch voyage of LD Lines to Boulogne for Doverforum (see Home page). Our French was a bit rusty but however, it is amazing how it all comes back to you when you are speaking face to face with our french compatriots and the hospitality was excellent.
- 14 February 2009 19:0915473We saw Nick on Thursday and many others who are working to promote Boulogne and now LD Lines; we need someone, or a body to promote Dover and we should be doing it sooner rather than later.
Roger - 14 February 2009 20:4815477good to see dover's royal couple were there, the french like that sort of thing.
seriously, it is good to have ambassadors that are fully boned up on the public relations stuff.
fosters good relations between our two towns.
incidentally i spotted the other day that their aquarium in boulogne had a two for the price of one offer for a limited period.
over to you roger, there must be a business around here that you can talk to that could do a special to those presenting a ferry ticket???
best of luck. - Ross Miller
- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 17 Sep 2008
- Posts: 3,695
14 February 2009 21:5815485One would like to think that traders in Dover would be interested in any opportunity to make money, after an incident today I am less sure.
We were in Holland and Barrett earlier and saw a lad shoplifting, alerted the manageress who seemed singularly disinterested in doing anything about it even though he had half inched £50-60 worth of stock. I realise the Police were not likely to do anything, but if she had been quick she could have confronted him ..."Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." - James Dean
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
While loving someone deeply gives you courage" - Laozi - 15 February 2009 08:1415491I'm sure there are Howard, but as I found out with the Loyalty Scheme, an individual cannot achieve any great element of success.
If a Dover Business Association type of body was started and I was running it, then a lot could be achieved - on every front.
Organising posters, making leaflets promoting our historic sites, museums and attractions, as well as the shops, pubs, restaurants and cafe's etc. here, to the French, should be a priority. Also promoting the businesses that accept the Euro and those that have people speaking French would help.
Discounts on producing a valid LD ticket or similar could be quite easily organised, but not by a volunteer individual; it just doesn't work.
That's very sad about H & B Ross: scared or apathetic, either way it's wrong.
I think DPAC should be extended too - giving discounts to members of this new body would increase the income of DPAC and give people another reason to join this new body (when, or if it's started up).
Roger