17 February 2009
17:4615619Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
17 February 2009
19:3715620disruption,stikes,blockades spring to mind.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
17 February 2009
20:2015623i understand that french staff will bear 100% of the brunt of lost jobs.
i haven't seen anything on the news that mentions service reductions.
brian
you are such a cynic, when have our gallic allies ever got involved in such activities?
Brian Dixon- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
17 February 2009
20:3015625only if they cant get there garlic and onions on there bike.
Guest 682- Registered: 19 Jan 2009
- Posts: 146
18 February 2009
07:3115638The reports say that they propose reducing the fleet from 5 ships to 3 so a service reduction is inevitable.
Strange couple of weeks - a new ferry operator starting earlier than planned and now one reducing - both French owned.
Anything to do with suggested new moves by Air France I wonder?
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
18 February 2009
08:4915644I think it will be a great shame if SeaFrance go down the tubes, but I know there are some who won't shed a tear, as they have said that it is a French Government subsidised company and this is against the EU rules.
Any company that operates in or out of Dover, is good and should be supported.
Less people using the ferries, means less people coming to Dover, which is not god for us, so another reason to promote Dover better.
Creating short-breaks here, developing Group Travel would also be advantageous all round as people come here for an organised short break will be happy to take at day-trip to France - whether Dunkirk, Calais or Boulogne, which then would help the ferry companies.
So many things need doing NOW, not in 3,6 or 12 months time.
Roger
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
18 February 2009
09:1315647Yes its a great shame that Seafrance are having difficulty. It is mostly to do with a huge fall off in freight traffic as I understand it. So the recession is responsible and hopefully for them things will pick up again later. Would be a shame if they had to reduce their number of ships, as Nigel suggests, as they have the best fleet operating on the channel. I myself always use them as I simply prefer the quality of the ships.
Yes very odd, a new service starts and another one reels back. Its not a good time for any ferry service let alone a new one starting up. I hope it all goes well for LD Lines and I sincerely hope Seafrance can keep afloat(!).
Guest 682- Registered: 19 Jan 2009
- Posts: 146
18 February 2009
11:2215651Looking more on the positive side - I hear that P&O are working on the next generation of ferries - one source suggests three vehicle decks.
We need to hope in the meantime that this SeaFrance situation is handled effectively and we don't end up with days of disruption which has been quite common in the past, as we know, and can bring severe disruption to the town.
As you say Paul, some of their vessels are quite old now and possibly maintenance and availability of suitable parts may be a problem for them.
Also - don't lose track of the possible Air France moves.
I notice that the reduction in freight traffic is mentioned as a problem but during 2008 overall freight vehicle movements were 2.4% down and last month 2.2% down which is, and remember this is overall through Dover, is but one ship on a round trip. (% Figures from DHB Website) It will be interesting to see how this changes now that the Tunnel is back into full operation.
Guest 673- Registered: 16 Jun 2008
- Posts: 1,388
18 February 2009
15:5915658These are certainly drastic cuts but make eminent sense in the current climate. SeaFrance will retain the three modern vessels, Rodin, Berlioz and Moliere. The latter was a somewhat curious purchase in view of their disastrous financial situation, nor is she well-suited to the Dover-Calais run.
The ones which will go are the Cezanne, Renoir and Nord Pas de Calais (NPC). Cezanne is truly ancient and has been run into the ground. Renoir is small and old and was only being retained as standby for refits. NPC is twenty years old and has been an invaluable freight ferry but the declining freight traffic can be handled by the three ships being retained.
The Channel Tunnel fire gave SeaFrance a brief boost as they carried the lions share of the freight which transferred to Dover-Calais. P&O could not take full advantage as they are still a ship down, with Pride of Canterbury still out of service after her encounter with a wreck in the Downs.
With the tunnel back to normal, the true state of the freight market has been revealed. SeaFrance carried 23% less freight in January 2009 than they did in January 2008 and things look bleak for a long time to come.
Signs are that there will be no industrial action as the unions recognise that this could well spell curtains for SeaFrance, but time will tell.
On the positive side, the first metal for the two new P&O ferries will be cut next month. They will be a similar configuration to the three Maersk vessels, with two full headroom cardecks for freight and everything else, and a low headroom cardeck above for cars only.
Also the Pride of Canterbury should shortly be returning to service after a year away. She lost her port propeller and suffered major damage to the shaft. As this is complex controllable-pitch gear, it has taken a long time to manufacture a replacement. When this was finally finished, she was found to have damage to the associated gearbox. From shards of metal discovered, this is suspected to having been due to somebody leaving a spanner in the works!
Brian Dixon- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
18 February 2009
16:0515659i would expect a downturn in frieght traffic in a ressision,maybe the dowturnof the ferries espesaly seafrance.the only thing i can think of is a restuturing of there frieght and car fares to add abit of compition.
Guest 673- Registered: 16 Jun 2008
- Posts: 1,388
19 February 2009
01:0515670From a post from a French seaman on Dover Ferry Photos, it would appear that LD Lines and SeaFrance may have agreed a rescue plan which will save the 650 jobs to go from SeaFrance. Neither company has confirmed this.
Article in La Voix du Nord:
http://tinyurl.com/bf9k5gGuest 673- Registered: 16 Jun 2008
- Posts: 1,388
19 February 2009
16:1215684More dramatic breaking news. Pierre Gehanne of LD Lines has proposed a merger of LD and SeaFrance on the Dover-Calais route.
"SeaFrance is a company that exists, there is no reason to disappear. I think we should rather think about how great SeaFrance rather contemplated only the disappearance of SeaFrance. The question does not arise: is it that I take pieces of SeaFrance or not. For me, SeaFrance is a brand," said Pierre Géhanne emphasized.
Article in La Voix du Nord:
http://tinyurl.com/bftf8u
