Guest 718- Registered: 28 Jun 2011
- Posts: 195
Tomorrow morning will see the arrival of the former Seafrance ferries under the My Ferry Link name. The Berlioz and Rodin (having dispensed with the Seafrance prefix) are due to arrive at 05:50 and 07:00 respectively and the shipping press states they will be entering service immediately, to joined at a later date by the Nord Pas de Calais which is currently undergoing a refit.
The new company has created hundreds of jobs in France and around 50 in Dover.
As the ships are owned by Eurotunnel and leased to My Ferry Link, rival operators P&O Ferries and DFDS/LD Lines have both urged the Office for Fair Trading and its French counterpart to probe competition issues.
(We'll see ..........)
Guest 717- Registered: 16 Jun 2011
- Posts: 468
Thank you for that John am eager to see the new paintwork. I did hear they would only be running a freight service for the first few weeks or so?
Keeps politics to myself
Guest 696- Registered: 31 Mar 2010
- Posts: 8,115
Good to see the French ships back again!
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
Fortunately I happened to be in the right place at the right time yesterday and got pictures of the ships..see the frontpage. Today we are experiencing thick fog so have not seen any arrivals today from MYFERRYLINK...
But eventually no doubt the fog will lift. The service as John says there kicks off today.
Here is another picture from Calais yesterday...
and another.. showing the two ships Rodin and Berlioz with their new paintwork..
Guest 663- Registered: 20 Mar 2008
- Posts: 1,136
Yes as the pix show great to see the two ships yesterday with their new logo ready and waiting for the off today,
its ashame that this fog has chosen to hang around this morning.
The MyFERRYlink checkin booths at Calais were all ready to open for business today, so we will be checking in this side of the channel very soon for a more genteel trip across.
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
A couple more images there from yesterday.
Was expecting to be able to get some more pictures today but the fog is playing merry hell..Grrrr!!
Guest 649- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 14,118
I am very happy to see a new ferry line start up,will it bring more trade to the port? lets all hope so,but I do not think that will happen but you never know.
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
Ooops nearly missed it! Here is the Berlioz arriving in Dover just a few minutes ago. Now that the fog has cleared all is well. It slips in the furthest away end of the harbour so almost missed it. Looks great. Colourful, jolly etc...unusual name but they will have researched it I'm sure.
Vic I dont know about more trade to the Port but I think the previous setup to Calais was overstretched, and remember this new business is bringing lots of jobs. Its true most of them are French, as they are essentially former Seafrance employees, but still a fair amount of jobs here too.
Guest 710- Registered: 28 Feb 2011
- Posts: 6,950
Ignorance is bliss, bliss is happiness, I am happy...to draw your attention to the possible connectivity in the foregoing.
Guest 649- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 14,118
Yes very true Paul it is a very big + on both sides.
Guest 715- Registered: 9 Jun 2011
- Posts: 2,438
Extra ferries clearing a park when the queues are on has to be a bonus for the Town as well.
Audere est facere.
Guest 656- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 2,262
Shiptastic front page today MrB
It's great to see the Berlioz and Rodin all spruced up and ready to go under their new ownership. Do you remember Pauli when we saw them back in early June languishing in Calais and looking very sad indeed and now Hey Presto! Luvit!
On my way back from the cruise terminal today I saw the Berlioz in all its glory
Tom, having just read your post above I'm off for a lie down with a little Symphonie Fantastique to sooth my brow
Guest 718- Registered: 28 Jun 2011
- Posts: 195
Pity about the fog and mist earlier. Here's the Berlioz arriving this afternoon.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
great pictures from paul and john, the question seems to be is there enough business on the channel to keep these extra vessels busy.
we have the 2 monster spirit ferries and now the berlioz and rodin!!
even in high summer i cannot see them all up to capacity, to enter service at the end of the season seems a bit optimistic.
i suppose it is good news for the traveller in the short term.
Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
may benifit the tourist in the long run,if fares are competative [low]people will use it more =more footfall.
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
Have just added an extra item to the frontpage just in from the Port.
* *
I thought the likeable Simon Jones did a rather gloomy report on it all last night on BBC South East. He had such a worried look about him that I almost thought he was reporting on a closure of service rather than a new and exciting start up.
It is true there is now suddenly a lot of capacity on the channel. It is also true that it is an unusual time of year for a launch of service, but clearly MFL had to start while the momentum was there. To wait until next Spring would surely have killed the opportunity stone dead, one has to strike while the iron is hot, and not let the grass grow...to use a whole dose of cliches!.
The new service will rely on freight to keep it going through the long winter and it should work out..roomy comfortable ships are the order of the day here and it should go down well with the commercial guys.
I was a regular user of Seafrance and always liked it. Since then I have been many times on the new P&O spirit ships. Huge capacity and they certainly can carry quite a load, they pack 'em in, loads and loads of car decks and only one deck for passengers to linger on, as far as I can tell. You are hard pressed to get a seat at all times..and Ive found that on several occasions both on day trips and short holidays. It is just the design of the ship itself. Optimised to carry max cars.
Overcrowded??..well possibly not, but there is a general feeling that current services are overstretched a mite.
However I will say they are super efficient. How they cope with such volume and keep it all flowing freely is an amazement in itself. Not just P&O but the Port itself.
Guest 673- Registered: 16 Jun 2008
- Posts: 1,388
Rodin departing Dover on wednesday afternoon:
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
Great stuff Ed and to get the full set..here is the Berlioz arriving yesterday in the low evening sun.
When I say full set..full set of passenger ones..the freight carrying Nord Pas de Calais to come.
Guest 656- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 2,262
Super shots above there Ed
Like that shot of the Berlioz Pauli, the low evening sun making it a warm creamy colour reminds me of some of the ships livery years ago
Guest 641- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 2,335
Great Photos Guys, it's good to see the Rodin and Berlioz back in Dover ferrying passengers and freight to and from Calais and Dover
email: dover7@msn.com
