Irish Ferries have released their 2012 pricing and we can now take bookings for travelling on Irish Ferries during 2012.

Irish Ferries run several popular routes – Rosslare to Cherbourg, Dublin to Holyhead and Rosslare to Pembroke. For journeys originating in Ireland, bookings must be made in Euros.

Click here to get a quote.

Troubled SeaFrance, which has been losing money on the Dover to Calais route for some time, has been given more time to find a buyer by a court in France. It remains in administration and will continue to operate until 28th January. The court rejected a bid of £5m from rival operator DFDS (who operate the Dover to Dunkerque route, amongst others) after P&O objected to the low value of the offer.

Scheduled services were paused for 48 hours to “safeguard ships, passengers, and crew” pending the decision from the court. There were fears that unions would instigate action and SeaFrance felt it necessary to withdraw service temporarily.

SeaFrance employs 1650 people on both sides of the Channel and has been suffering because of competition from low cost airlines and Eurotunnel. It carries around 3.5 million passengers a year. P&O is the only other ferry operator currently running ferries between Dover and Calais and objected to the DFDS bid on the ground that the offer was too low considering the assets of SeaFrance.

After it rejected the DFDS bid, the court invited improved offers which must be submitted by 12th December. Hopefully a buyer will be found to safeguard jobs and competition on the route.

Urgent news for SeaFrance and cross-channel passengers. SeaFrance, who are awaiting a court decision on their future have suspended all sailings for 48 hours. Any of our customers affected will have been contacted, but travellers who have booked elsewhere are urged to call their provider, or SeaFrance on the number below. SeaFrance operates only on the Dover to Calais route – the obvious alternative is P&O Ferries.

The full statement from SeaFrance reads:

“We are approaching November 16th, the date when the decision of the Court of commerce will dictate the future of the Company, the Board of SeaFrance has decided, in liaison with the French National Authorities, to suspend the ship operations on the 15th of November at 04 00 hours. The suspension of service will last for 48 hours pending the decision of the court.

 

“We have taken this decision, with full knowledge of the consequences, to safeguard the security of the passengers, crews, vehicles and ships. We are conscious of the inconvenience this situation is causing and we apologise for this. We will keep you informed of any changes in the present situation.

 

“Should you need any further information, Please contact us on +44 (0) 845 458 0666 to speak to a member of staff.”

We wish a successful outcome from the court case to all involved.

P&O Ferries are to re-register two of their best know vessels in the Bahamas as part of a cost cutting exercise. The Pride of Hull and Pride of York, currently registered under a British flag, will be re-registered as part of a bid to avoid increased wage costs due to a change in employment law.

It’s common, but controversial, practise for ships to sail under “flags of convenience” since it enables companies to employ crew at cheaper rates.

Brian Rees from P&O said: “It’s to protect us, really, against possible changes in employment legislation which would take our wage bill up.

“We’re not quite certain how it will pan out yet but the concern is, we take a lot of temps on who are employed through agencies but they’ll often be paid at a lower rate than our own core crew.

“If we have to equalise that in the future, our wage bill would rocket and we just can’t afford that.”

Russ Garbutt, a former master on the Pride of York, said “The Pride of Hull was very much showing the flag for Hull and to change that flag and the port of registry is a very sad day.

“It certainly won’t go down very well with the people of Hull and the area.

“Under the Tonnage Tax regime there were benefits to remain under the British flag. I fail to see why P&O wish to move outside of that regime because there are great benefits attached to it, not just financial but also manning and training of young seafarers.”

The ferries currently sail on the popular Hull to Rotterdam and Hull to Zeebrugge routes (many people in Hull still refer to them affectionately under their old name “North Sea Ferries“).

More at the BBC.

Irish Ferries have released their timetable and prices for 2012 and you can book 2012 Irish Ferries crossings now.

Irish Ferries operate several routes including Dublin – Holyhead and Rosslare – Pembroke. With regular sailings and great fares, Irish Ferries is an excellent choice for travel between the UK and Ireland.

Click here to get a quote.

Fastnet Line have announced that they are withdrawing the Swansea to Cork ferry service with immediate effect. The news will come as a shock to passengers who are booked onto the service in the coming months. The company has moved to reassure all passengers that they will be contacted and a full refund given.

Travellers will then need to choose an alternative route such as Pembroke to Rosslare (Irish Ferries) or Fishguard to Rosslare (Stena Line). There is plenty of capacity available and flexibility in sailing times.

Fastnet Line have stated that they hope to reinstate the service from Easter 2012 and to operate it as a seasonal only service between April and September. This will depend up successful outcome of the examinership process. More details can be seen here.