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Channel Tunnel News

26 Nov 2021

French Fishermen Block British boat off St Malo Amid Fishing Licenses Row

French fishermen blocked a British cargo vessel from docking in a Brittany port on Friday, in protest at what they say are moves by authorities in London and Jersey to withhold licenses to fish in British waters under a post-Brexit deal.The fishermen held aloft red flares as they circled their boats outside Saint-Malo to block the Normandy Trader's path - a prelude to a planned blockade later on Friday of Calais and the Channel Tunnel, both major transport hubs for trade between Britain and continental Europe.The one-hour Saint-Malo protest and the larger action further east along France's coast risk reigniting a dispute between the…

07 Feb 2019

Walsh & Sons Selects Damen Multi Cat

Photo: Damen

UK-based construction services provider S. Walsh & Sons has ordered a Multi Cat 1908 from Damen Shipyards Group. After finalizing a number of modifications, Damen will deliver the 19-meter long vessel ten weeks after receiving the order.Part of the GRS Group, S. Walsh & Sons is London’s premier construction partners, delivering end-to-end materials handling services to the UK civil engineering and construction industries. This comprises excavation, freight (marine, rail and road), materials processing, environmental management, and land remediation.

20 Jan 2019

Oldendorff Sells Three Vessels in in CSL Pool to Algoma

The dry bulk operator Oldendorff Carriers sold the three remaining self-unloaders still operating in the CSL Pool for US$100.5 million to Algoma Central Corporation.CSL International Pool is a partnership between Oldendorff Carriers, Marbulk Shipping Inc. and Algoma Shipping Inc.The vessels -Sophie Oldendorff (70,037 tdw built 2000), Harmen Oldendorff (66,188 tdw built 2005) & Alice Oldendorff (50,259 tdw built 2000) -  are expected to deliver to Algoma around the middle of 2019.All three vessels have been trading in the CSL Pool on the East Coast of North and South America since they were built. The CSL Pool consists of 18 self-unloading…

23 Nov 2018

SOGET launches EasyBrexit!

France-based Port Community System operator SOGET, in close collaboration with French customs, port authorities, ferry companies and road hauliers, will offer an integrated e-freight corridor based on a digitalized anticipation of information flows related to cross-Channel goods."Cross-channel RO-RO traffic of trucks and its logistics’ fluidity in ports are crucial matters for the competitiveness of the Great-Britain - Europe corridor. With 5 million trucks on the coastal border territory, the current port infrastructure cannot deal with a new logistics border," said a press release from the Le Havre headquartered public-private partnership between the Port Community of Le Havre…

18 Apr 2018

London Thamesport Boosts Short Sea Capacity

Dutch-based transport company A2B-online Container B.V. has added a fourth weekly sailing on its service between Hutchison Ports London Thamesport and Moerdijk in The Netherlands. The new sailing is inaugurated today (18 April 2018) by the first call of the m.s. A2B Spirit (ex-Norfeeder), a Sietas 151 type 508 TEU container ship, the fourth of this class owned and operated by A2B. Commenting on the new sailing, Clemence Cheng, Executive Director Hutchison Ports, said:“London Thamesport offers its customers a service tailored to their specific demands. We are seeing a growing demand in the short-sea container market as a response to increasing labour shortages in the driver-accompanied market and uncertainty around Brexit.

15 Oct 2015

Oil Leads Rotterdam’s 2015 Cargo Growth

Photo: Port of Rotterdam

The Port of Rotterdam reported a 5.4 percent increase in the amount of goods handled by the port for the first nine months of 2015, boosted largely by higher volumes of crude oil and oil product cargos. "The growth is almost entirely due to the increase in the handling of crude oil and oil products,” explained Allard Castelein, CEO Port of Rotterdam Authority. “Most other types of goods were handled in similar quantities as last year. The port’s crude oil throughput was up 8.5 percent over the nine-month period…

31 Aug 2015

Deal Reached to End MyFerryLink Dispute

Photo: Port of Calais

A deal was reached on Monday to save hundreds of ferry jobs at the northern French port of Calais, the French transport minister said, ending a dispute that has disrupted traffic through the Channel Tunnel linking France and Britain. Workers at ferry service MyFerryLink had intermittently blocked the port and the tunnel in recent weeks in a protest over job cuts, after the company, previously owned by Eurotunnel , was sold to Denmark's DFDS. The dispute has added to public order concerns in Calais…

31 Jul 2015

Calais Port Blocked Again by Protesters

Protesting ferry-workers blocked road access to the northern French port of Calais with burning tyres on Friday, police said. The workers have in recent weeks intermittently blocked the port and sometimes the Channel Tunnel in a protest over job cuts after tunnel operator Eurotunnel agreed to sell its MyFerryLink ferry unit to Danish-owned DFDS. The French government has sought to intervene and propose a solution, but no accord has yet been found. The dispute has added to disruption around the northern port, also struggling to deal with nightly attempts by hundreds of migrants to sneak through the tunnel into Britain. (Reporting by Pierre Savary

27 Jul 2015

Calais DFDS Ferries to Restart Tuesday; Talks to Reconvene

Photo: DFDS Seaways

DFDS Seaways Calais-Dover ferry service, suspended by a workers' blockade of Calais port during the weekend, will resume on Tuesday morning, Transport Minister Alain Vidalies said after talks with the parties involved. Ferry workers, industry executives, the Channel Tunnel operator Eurotunnel and the French government are due to reconvene later this week for further talks to settle the labour dispute after breaking up without agreement on Monday, Vidalies said in a statement.

23 Jul 2015

France: Job-Saving Offer in Bid to End Port Crisis

The French government unveiled proposals on Thursday to save local ferry jobs and end a stand-off in the port of Calais in northern France that has repeatedly disrupted traffic in the Channel Tunnel. Some 500 workers at ferry service MyFerryLink have blocked traffic around the port in a protest aimed at preventing job cuts after their company, previously owned by Eurotunnel , was sold to a Danish company, DFDS. The Transport Ministry proposals include a commitment by Eurotunnel to establish a ferry charter contract that will save 150 jobs. DFDS will also hire 230 MyferryLink workers and the ministry said it would seek employment options for remaining workers within three months.

22 Jul 2015

Eurostar Breaks Passenger Growth Record, Despite Calais Strike

Channel Tunnel rail operator Eurostar has reported record quarterly passenger numbers despite the disruption caused by strikes in Calais. Around 2.8 million passengers travelled on the high-speed service in the second quarter of this year, an increase of 3 per cent on last year. The record numbers were despite disruption during ferry worker strikes in Calais last month over the sale of the MyFerryLink’s ferries to the rival DFDS Seaways. However, overall sales revenues for the first half of the year fell 2% due to the impact of the terrorist attacks in Paris during the first quarter and the closure of Eurotunnel following a lorry fire.

21 Jul 2015

French Ferry Workers Blockade Channel Tunnel

Protesting ferry workers temporarily blocked French road access to the undersea rail tunnel linking France to Britain on Tuesday, a Eurotunnel spokesman said. Employees of the Eurotunnel-owned MyFerryLink service - whose ferries the company plans to sell - brought traffic in the tunnel to a standstill for a whole day last month, also disrupting seabound travel from the port of Calais, in protest at the sale. Syndicat Maritime Nord union spokesman Eric Vercoutre said the blockade of the A16 road into the tunnel was now at an end, but that another one was planned for this afternoon. A spokesman for France's road traffic authority said short stoppages were likely to take place throughout the day.

01 Jul 2015

Striking Ferry Workers to Ease Blockade of Calais Port

Striking ferry workers blocking access to Calais port in northern France agreed on Wednesday to let some boats through, partly lifting a blockade in its third day. Workers at ferry service MyFerryLink are trying to prevent job cuts after their company was sold to a Danish company earlier this month. They agreed to let some boats go after their representatives were invited to meet with Transport Ministry officials on Thursday morning, following a threat to disrupt traffic through the Channel Tunnel for 48 hours. "We've accepted to lift the blockade of the port from 20:00 (1800 GMT) to let P&0 boats through one by one," union official Eric Vercoutre told journalists.

01 Jul 2015

Union Vows More Channel Tunnel Disruption

Ferry workers will disrupt traffic through the sub-sea Channel tunnel between France and Britain for 48 hours from midday on Thursday, a union official said. "We will pursue our actions to make the French government budge," said union official Eric Vercoutre, speaking at the French Calais port town where the tunnel entrance is located. "From midday Thursday we will carry out actions disrupting the tunnel," he said, adding that action should last 48 hours. Workers at ferry service MyFerryLink are trying to prevent job cuts after their company was sold to a Danish firm earlier this month. MyFerryLink was previously owned by Eurotunnel, the company that operates the undersea cross-Channel rail link. Reporting by Matthias Blamont

30 Jun 2015

Protests Shut Channel Tunnel Again

The Channel Tunnel closed again on Tuesday due to protesting MyFerryLink workers, its operator Eurotunnel and French traffic supervision body Bison Fute said. The entrance to the tunnel was blocked by angry workers who set fire to tyres thrown on the tracks, a Reuters witness said. Employees at MyFerryLink, the ferry service recently sold by Eurotunnel maintained their blockade of the northern French port of Calais for a second day on Tuesday after a court rejected their bid to extend a charter contract with Eurotunnel. The MyFerryLink workers argue the court decision jeopardises hundreds of jobs at their company. Reporting by Matthias Blamont

24 Jun 2015

Channel Tunnel Traffic Resumes After Strike

Traffic through the Channel Tunnel linking Britain and France has resumed, a spokesman for operator Eurotunnel said on Wednesday. "Traffic is totally normal in both directions since last night at 1830 (French time)," he said. Traffic was suspended on Tuesday after striking ferry workers accessed the terminal on the French side and set fire to tires to protest against the restructuring of Eurotunnel's maritime business MyFerryLink.   Shipping had been halted early on Tuesday and both Eurotunnel and Eurostar later suspended their services because of the disruption, creating kilometres-long tailbacks. Television images had shown crowds of migrants trying to board waiting lorries. Others were held back by riot police. Reporting by Astrid Wendlandt

23 Jun 2015

French Port Strike Brings Travel Chaos

A strike by French ferry workers is causing travel chaos in the south of England and Eurostar services from London are experiencing long delays. Calais strike is over - but motorists still face lengthy delays. Sailings have been resumed following the protests and the Channel Tunnel has reopened after protesting French ferry workers got on to the tracks. All services to and from the UK Port of Dover have been affected by the strike. Workers at MyFerryLink have voted in favour of ending the industrial action and return to work after blockading the Port of Calais, as well as having Eurotunnel services suspended. Traffic jams are mounting on motorway stretches near Dover as lorries destined for Calais wait until service resumes.

23 Jun 2015

Striking French Ferry Workers Shut Channel Tunnel, Blockade Calais Port

Traffic was halted through the Channel Tunnel linking Britain and France on Tuesday after striking French ferry workers set fire to tires, while Britain's Foreign Office warned of migrants trying to get into vehicles queuing to enter the tunnel. British television showed large crowds of migrants trying to board waiting lorries, while others were held back by riot police. Around 400 workers blockaded the port of Calais to protest restructuring at its MyFerryLink division, the Syndicat Maritime Nord union said. Shipping was halted early in the day, the Calais port authority said. Both Eurotunnel and Eurostar later suspended their services because of the disruption.

08 Jun 2015

Eurotunnel Sells Ships to Danish DFDS Group

Eurotunnel reluctantly sold to its subsidiary, the Calais-to-Dover ferry business, MyFerryLink the Danish DFDS, the competitor of the Channel Tunnel reports Le Monde. The company is a forced seller of the service because of antitrust action. It said it had wanted to sell the business to a workers' cooperative, SCOP SeaFrance, rather than to DFDS. "The group, regretting that SeaFrance SCOP did not have the necessary support to make a takeover offer, ads engaging accept the tender submitted by DFDS for leasing ships Berlioz and Rodin," the group said in a statement. On January 9, the British appellate court for Competition (Competition Appeal Tribunal) upheld the position of the authority of the British competition (competition and markets authority…

15 May 2015

Court Allows Eurotunnel-Owned Channel Ferries

Ferries owned by Groupe Eurotunnel and run under the MyFerryLink brand can continue to run between Britain and France, after a British court upheld an appeal from a workers' collective which runs run the ferries. Britain's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has been examining Eurotunnel's move into the ferry market since late 2012, and a tribunal earlier this year ruled that Eurotunnel should cease its MyFerryLink operations. But by a two to one majority decision, the Court of Appeal on Friday upheld the appeal by the Société Coopérative de Production de SeaFrance, the workers' collective involved in running the ferries. The CMA will now consider whether to launch an appeal to the Supreme Court.

09 Jan 2015

Eurotunnel Seeks Buyer for Ferry Business

Groupe Eurotunnel, which runs the undersea rail link between Britain and France, is putting its ferry service between the two countries up for sale after a ban on it operating the route was upheld by Britain's Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT). CAT's ruling supported a ban brought in by Britain's antitrust regulator and comes after a long-running probe by the country's competition authorities into Eurotunnel's move into the ferry market. Under the ruling announced on Friday, Eurotunnel now has six months to cease its MyFerryLink operations between France and Britain, with the company saying it would seek a buyer for the business, which it said was run as an independent company.

05 Mar 2014

Crossing the English Channel by Ferry Preferred to Chunnel

Image credit P&O Ferries

More people used ferries to travel from the UK to the continent last year although cross-Channel numbers are still down on those of decade ago. According to the Department for Transport's recently released annual Sea Passenger Statistics the number of short sea international ferry journeys increased by 4% to 20.5m following two years of decline. In a reversal of the situation in 2012, when more passengers travelled internationally via the Channel Tunnel than on ferries for the first time, ferries accounted for 1.7m, or 9%, more international journeys than the Channel Tunnel last year.

01 Aug 2012

Voith Gets Things Moving at Olympic Games

the Voith-Schneider propeller

London. 3,000 tubes, 1,500 double-decker busses, the Eurostar, the Javelin shuttle and several ferries on the Thames all have two things in common: they are all fitted with Voith technology and will ensure that millions of spectators and over 10,000 athletes get safely and soundly where they want to go during the Olympic Games. Voith drive technology as well as various technical services for numerous busses and trains will make a key contribution to smoothly running traffic systems operating around the Olympic Games over the next few weeks.