Guest 673- Registered: 16 Jun 2008
- Posts: 1,388
#21
Ostend Spirit has been transferred back to Dover-Boulogne again for a week or so to cover Norman Bridge which has to go to Arno's for attention to her bow doors and rudders.
It would seem to make a lot more sense for Ostend Spirit to stay on Dover-Boulogne and Norman Bridge to take her place on Ramsgate-Ostend. Dover-Boulogne has a high passenger potential and Ostend Spirit has all the facilities to cater for them. Ramsgate-Ostend is predominantly freight and Norman Bridge is a freighter with limited passenger facilities. I dare say LD Lines would prefer to do that but are possibly treading cautiously at the moment in order not to alienate TEF.
Another option would be to transfer the Oleander, ex Pride of Free Enterprise, to Dover-Boulogne. Again, she has full passenger facilities in addition to her freight capacity.
Another possibility is that the T Rex (ex Dawn Merchant) may be chartered in addition to her sister ship Norman Bridge (ex Brave Merchant) to operate a two ship service to Boulogne. T Rex is currently performing a short charter on the Irish Sea to relieve ships for refit and will probably be available for chartering thereafter.
Ramsgate-Ostend has not seen any major increase in tourist traffic since LD became involved and, from being the cheap and cheerful way across the Dover Strait, are actually charging substantially more for a car than Norfolkline are to Dunkerque which is a two hour passage as opposed to four or five.