Tag

Brittany Ferries

Oct 28
Love4

After resilience comes the time for competitiveness for Brittany Ferries

By 2021 Newsletter week 43

Brittany Ferries will benefit from an exceptional state subsidy of 45 million euros, as well as the waiver of debts for a total of 16 million euros. This was announced by the French prime minister Jean Castex.

Jean-Marc Roué, president of Brittany Ferries, has welcomed the French government’s announcement.

For over a year, Brittany Ferries has warned the French state of its deteriorating financial situation as it has battled the Brexit and Covid crises. In particular, the closure of passenger services on the English Channel, a direct consequence of travel restrictions put in place by various European governments to control the Covid pandemic, has had a massive impact.

Support first came to the company last year in the form of government-backed loans issued by French banks to the tune of €117m. The company was further supported by the regions of Brittany and Normandy. It was therefore able to rely on its resilience for nearly two years, in the face of the double storm of Brexit and Covid.

However, significant accumulated losses made it impossible to resort to further loans to guarantee a return to growth. Brittany Ferries, which is the largest employer of French sailors as well as being a vector of economic and tourist development of the Brittany and Normandy regions, had no other recourse than seek reimbursement for the damage suffered as a direct consequence of the forced closure of passenger services.

Sep 16
Love4

Win-Win Alliance between CMA CGM and Brittany Ferries

By 2021 Newsletter week 37

Alliance between two iconic French companies with far-reaching possibilities and synergies:

  • CMA CGM has agreed to make a €25 million investment in Brittany Ferries, including €10 million in quasi-equity. Through this agreement, CMA CGM is seeking to support Brittany Ferries’ post-Covid-19 recovery.
  • The partnership will help to unlock synergies.
  • A representative of the CMA CGM Group will join Brittany Ferries’ Supervisory Board.
  • Commercial partnership: CMA CGM can use available cargo space on board Brittany Ferries’ services to the United Kingdom, Ireland and the Iberian Peninsula. (faster cargo flows than with containers)
  • The transportation of goods aboard Brittany Ferries ships will help expand the CMA CGM Group’s offering in the roro sector for the Atlantic and northern coast of France to destinations in the United Kingdom.
  • Brittany Ferries will gain more expertise in modern freight and logistics needs. (multimodal).
  • New roro services will be created.
  • CMA CGM has since many years roro operations between Marseille and the Maghreb. See on their website for more information.

With more than 500 vessels, CMA CGM Group offers a combined capacity of 3 million TEUs.

After Maersk and MSC (*), it is the third largest container group.

(*) MSC Group owns ferry companies GNV and SNAV

Jul 29
Love4

Brittany Ferries Awarded Green Marine Europe Label

By 2021 Newsletter week 30

Brittany Ferries recently received the “Green Marine Europe” label at a ceremony held in Biarritz and organized by the Green Marine Europe program.

This label rewards the Company’s continuous and ambitious work on the environment and recognizes the progress made in this sector during the year 2020.

Launched in 2020, the Green Marine Europe label is the result of the collaboration between the NGO Surfrider Foundation Europe and Green Marine (Alliance Verte), a North American environmental certification program.

Jun 17
Love2

FERRY SHIPPING

By 2021 Newsletter week 24

Zero-Emission ‘Flying Ferries’ for Brittany Ferries

Brittany Ferries is exploring the potential for a new high-speed, sustainable and more efficient form of ferry travel called a seaglider. The concept, an all-electric, wing-in-ground effect vehicle (WIG), is under development in the United States through Boston-based start-up REGENT (Regional Electric Ground Effect Nautical Transport).

Brittany Ferries has signed a letter of intent which could see seagliders with a 50-150 passenger capacity sailing between the UK and France by 2028. REGENT expects the first commercial passengers to travel on smaller electric craft by 2025.

Seagliders combine the convenience of passenger ferries with the comfort of hydrofoils, the aerodynamic efficiency of hovercraft and the speed of aircraft. With the potential to connect existing ferry ports, the craft are expected to fly at speeds of up to 180 mph – six times faster than conventional ferries – with a battery-powered range of 180 miles.

The voyage from Portsmouth to Cherbourg, for example, could be covered in as little as 40 minutes.

May 27
Love2

Brittany Ferries Will NOT Open A New UK – Portugal Route This Summer

By 2021 Newsletter week 21

The decision to re-open Spain to British tourists, combined with falling Covid cases and rapidly rising vaccination rates in the country, means opening a new Porto route is no longer commercially viable.

Brittany Ferries hope and expect Spain to be placed on the UK’s green list at the first review in early June and for that reason they took the decision to shelve the plan.

Last week, Spanish authorities confirmed the country would open for tourism from Monday 24 May and that Brits would not need to take a PCR test before arrival.

“We have been overwhelmed by messages of support from existing passengers, new customers and via social media urging us to sail to Porto,” said CEO Christophe Mathieu. “Portugal? Never say never.”

May 13
Love2

Brittany Ferries Forced To Delay Return To Full Service

By 2021 Newsletter week 19

Brittany Ferries will not resume its full sailing schedule on 17th May as it had originally planned. The decision comes following changes to international travel rules, and in particular clarification of the UK government’s traffic light framework.

Normal sailings are now scheduled to resume on 6th June. The company says it is hopeful that France and Spain will be re-allocated to the green list shortly, thanks to falling Covid cases and rapidly rising vaccination rates.

Travel rules in UK, France, Spain and Ireland have significantly weakened demand. In the current financial climate it is not possible to run loss-making services without passengers, says BF’s CEO Christophe Mathieu, who remains positive and believes that ferry travel is now more attractive than ever.

Apr 29
Love2

A Tunnel Connecting Finland And Estonia?

By 2021 Newsletter week 17
  • 26 April 2021, Finland’s Minister of Transport and Communications and Estonia’s Minister of Economic Affairs and Infrastructure signed a MoU on cooperation between the two countries in the transport sector.
  • The urpose of the MoU is cooperation in the transport sector and exchange of information between the countries in order to promote large-scale transport projects, such as the Helsinki-Tallinn tunnel, Rail Baltica, Trans-European Transport Networks, and North Sea-Baltic Sea core network corridor.
  • The MoU provides an improved environment for applying EU funding for the projects.
Apr 15
Love2

VIDEO

By 2021 Newsletter week 15

Video Of Rescue Exercise With Brittany Ferries’ GALICIA

On Monday April 12, the French “Préfecture maritime de la Manche et de la Mer du Nord” organised in cooperation with Brittany Ferries a rescue exercise. Ropax ferry GALICIA simulated a loss of propulsion, thus causing the vessel to drift 7 nautical miles north of Cherbourg.

The “Jobourg” regional operational surveillance and rescue center then coordinated the rescue operation. Involved were:

  • The Caiman Marine helicopter of the French Navy from the 33F flotilla detachment based in Maupertus-sur-Mer, in charge of deploying the assessment and response team on board the ferry.
  • The intervention, assistance and rescue tug ABEILLE LIBERTÉ, chartered by the French Navy, in charge of towing the GALICIA.
  • A drone was deployed to bring the mooring lance safely aboard the ferry.
Feb 18
Love2

Brittany Ferries Is Extending The Suspension Of Some Services

By 2021 Newsletter week 7

The move follows continued stringent travel restrictions for passengers on both sides of the Channel. Only essential travel is currently permitted, and there is little prospect of this easing in the near future.

Four ships that are currently laid-up, but which had been due to resume service in late March, will not now resume service until mid-May at the earliest.