Guest 697- Registered: 13 Apr 2010
- Posts: 622
DFDS have announced that they have secured a second ship for their Dover-Calais service. The Barfleur, formerly with Brittany Ferries, will operate on the route from 27 April.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
any more information on this one kevin, capacity etc?
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
Have this press release which has just come in today. As we have a thread running here ,will add it here at this juncture rather than to the frontpage.
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DFDS and LDA double frequency on Calais-Dover route.
A chartered vessel to complement NORMAN SPIRIT on our Calais-Dover service under the French flag from 27 April. Frequency will be doubled to ten daily departures from each port. The route is operated in partnership between DFDS and Louis Dreyfus Armateurs.
Today we are pleased to announce that we have secured a second ship for our new Calais-Dover service from 27 April.
"It has been our plan all along to operate the route with at least two ships in order to be able to deliver a satisfactory service and frequency to our many customers. Following a successful start, we are therefore extremely pleased to announce that we have succeeded in securing the BARFLEUR as the second ship on the route, which is currently being serviced by the NORMAN SPIRIT as the only ship. With two ships, we will be able to double our frequency on the route from five daily departures from each port to 10 daily departures. In total, there will be 22 daily departures out of Dover and an equal number out of Calais and Dunkerque combined," says Senior Vice President Carsten Jensen, Head of DFDS' routes in the Channel.
French crew
The vessel has been chartered from Brittany Ferries and will be renamed prior to entry into service. She was built in 1992 and offers excellent facilities for 1,212 passengers, 550 cars and a freight capacity of 1,530 lane metres. She will fly the French flag and be operated by a French crew. This means that the total number of French employees will increase to about 300. The new ship will be put into service on 27 April and is currently being prepared for the future task.
"We thank our loyal customers and our partners in France and the UK for the support. With this move we are showing our commitment to the new route, to providing our passengers and freight customers with an attractive service and an exciting and dynamic workplace for our staff" says Carsten Jensen.
The route is operated in partnership between DFDS and LDA.
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
Following on from the press release above..here is a picture of The Barfleur
Guest 686- Registered: 5 May 2009
- Posts: 556
Good, but a shame the two big ex-SeaFrance ships don't figure in the plans. I look forward to seeing the timetable and hope to be able to use the service more frequently than at present.
Phil West
If at first you don't succeed, use a BIGGER hammer!!
Guest 663- Registered: 20 Mar 2008
- Posts: 1,136
Thats certainly good news for the summer ahead, and for the many passengers who will be crossing the channel this summer.
Guest 698- Registered: 28 May 2010
- Posts: 8,664
I just hope they can be competitive with a French unionised crew.
I'm an optimist. But I'm an optimist who takes my raincoat - Harold Wilson
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
Well yes indeed...the current one (Norman Spirit) doing the route alone has a French crew and so far no problems. As Phil says there.. when I first saw the info coming through I was convinced it was going to be one of the Seafrance ships..but as I read further...No.
Ive added the picture above in larger size now to the frontpage and put a link there through to this thread.
Keith Sansum1
- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,942
oh dear peter them damn unions
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS
Guest 698- Registered: 28 May 2010
- Posts: 8,664
Well Keith, I just knew you were going to bite on that one
but you must admit that it was the unions' stubbornness which cost their members so many jobs when SeaFrance went t*ts up.
I'm an optimist. But I'm an optimist who takes my raincoat - Harold Wilson
Keith Sansum1- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,942
peter;
all i will say is that there is a role for the unions
more so in todays climate
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
in the case of sea france it was the french unions that cost the jobs of its members.
hopefully the same will not happen with the new service.
Guest 698- Registered: 28 May 2010
- Posts: 8,664
Always a role for the unions Keith, but telling management how to run their business is not it.
I'm an optimist. But I'm an optimist who takes my raincoat - Harold Wilson
Guest 656- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 2,262
This is great news and the Barfleur looks like a very beautiful ship, smashing photo of her above there
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
See the latest BIG news on this on our frontpage.
A New Company formed, a coming together of DFDS and LD Lines. More in our archive All Recent Features Copy 246.
Exciting Development!
Guest 663- Registered: 20 Mar 2008
- Posts: 1,136
Agree there PaulB exciting times, certianly things are looking up on the ferry front it will give us all a wider choice, for crossing the channel.
Guest 744- Registered: 20 Mar 2012
- Posts: 412
I wish them every success and hope it lasts longer than the Dover-Dieppe/Dover-Boulogne crossings that LD Lines attempted and then abandoned after a few months.
Guest 698- Registered: 28 May 2010
- Posts: 8,664
Welcome to the Forum, Carole. Are you by any chance the Carole Barber who lives in Coxhill Rd, Shepherdswell?
I'm an optimist. But I'm an optimist who takes my raincoat - Harold Wilson
Guest 744- Registered: 20 Mar 2012
- Posts: 412
Yes Peter. And I SO miss your REAL ale!!!
Guest 698- Registered: 28 May 2010
- Posts: 8,664
We haven't see Ian in Morrisons lately, have you moved to France already?
I'm an optimist. But I'm an optimist who takes my raincoat - Harold Wilson
email: dover7@msn.com
email: dover7@msn.com
