GSI shipyard has sent P&O PIONEER on sea trials. The large double-ended ferry has a capacity for 1,500 passengers and 3,658 lane metres. She will start to operate on Calais-Dover in 2023.
How will it work?
Drivers will still check-in as normal and will be allowed to embark on the next available ferry, this could be a DFDS or P&O vessel.
Sailing schedules have been re-planned: truck drivers will be able to get on a ferry every 37 minutes.
Exceptions: hazardous goods, plug ins, out of gauge vehicles, horses, pets, livestock.
Port of Zeebrugge: Growth of 3% in 2020
Zeebrugge stayed 100% operational during the pandemic. Roro traffic suffered because of the reduced handling of new cars. This drop was compensated by a strong growth in container traffic, LNG and solid bulk.
The port took a lot of initiatives to be Brexit-proof and invested twice as much into new infrastructure.
Modal shift: the port sees an important growth of rail connections, and estuary waterway connections went up 4.2%
CLdN
- Added a call in Zeebrugge on the route Leixões – Rotterdam, allowing cargo to be transferred to Esbjerg and Göteborg.
- Zeebrugge – Dublin: from 2 to 3 sailings with so-called “Brexit busters”
- Zeebrugge – Cork: new route
- Zeebrugge – Santander: ships VALENTINE en CELANDINE = +40% capacity
P&O Ferries
- End of ropax service Zeebrugge – Hull, means end of accompanied freight
DFDS
- Introduction of FLANDRIA SEAWAYS on 4 October 2020, Zeebrugge – Göteborg
Read the full report
https://portofzeebrugge.be/en/news-events/port-zeebrugge-3-growth-2020
‘Illegal’ £35m State Aid For Ferries Faces Legal Challenge (writes The Telegraph)
CLdN is seeking a judicial review of Transport Secretary Grant Shapps’ decision to hand the £35 million to passenger operators Brittany Ferries, DFDS, Eurotunnel, P&O, Seatruck and Stena.
P&O Owners Say Government ‘Slow’ over Threat to Supply Routes
The head of Dubai-based DP World told the BBC that P&O needs £257m in aid to avoid collapse and has applied to the UK government for £150m of that.
The hotels and restaurants of Calais are dreaming about the return of the tax-free era, once the Brexit is a fact.
After the duty-free was abolished in 1997, Calais lost 40% of its tourist traffic. The city was used to have a lot of British day-trippers.
When Brexit was announced in April 2017, an association has been created under the name “Yes to Duty Free.” Some of its members include ferry companies DFDS and P&O, Eurotunnel and SEPD (Société d’exploitation des ports du Detroit).
After the fire on FINLANDIA SEAWAYS, DFDS decided to stop its service between Zeebrugge and Rosyth, Scotland. (news 16 April 2018) P&O Ferries now announced their plans to lift capacity on the Zeebrugge-Teesport route by almost 25% within the next month, in order to create a gateway to Scotland.
How this increase in capacity will be realised is still kept confidential. P&O is understood to be looking at a different configuration of ships.
The company currently carries more than 100,000 freight units a year to Teesport from its continental hub at Zeebrugge. The 12 sailings a week service is provided by the BORE SONG and the MISTRAL.
Customers will benefit from P&O Ferries’ plans to increase the capacity of its ships combined with the introduction by PD Ports of a new rail service to Mossend in Scotland. The timetable of both services will be fully integrated so that freight can be moved from one to the other with minimal delay.
Photo: BORE SONG in Zeebrugge © Mike Louagie