SeaFrance goes under
 

Pardon the pun....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-16469300

Re: SeaFrance goes under
 

Yes very sad to hear this on the mid afternoon news but by all accounts this has been in the offing for some time and l do feel sorry for the people losing their jobs.

Re: SeaFrance goes under
 

Yes they'll be joining an ever expanding club sadly.

Re: SeaFrance goes under
 

So who actually still runs ferries across the channel now?

Re: SeaFrance goes under
 

Yes l suspect we all know people who have lost their jobs and for the people and their families it can be very demoralising not to mention the seismic reduction in their finances.

Re: SeaFrance goes under
 

P&O do Dover-Calais. In fact they launched a massive three car deck ferry early last year on the route with a second on order that has had a few teething issues so has yet to make it into service having been originally due in September (It's even reported to have run aground having broken it's Finnish Shipbuilder's moorings). Perhaps P&O's expansion was the final straw for their competition? So whilst one company has failed it looks like the British based one is doing well.

There are other ferry routes too other than Dover-Calais run by various companies, especially from Portsmouth, Southampton and Poole areas, as well as those going towards Belgium and Holland

Re: SeaFrance goes under
 

Well if your claustrophobic, you will not go under ground.

Re: SeaFrance goes under
 

Haven't used the ferries for years but was French industrial action part of the reason why the company's gone under? They seem to have been striking on and off for years.....

Re: SeaFrance goes under
 

SeaFrance were always the cheapest and I often travelled with them.

Unfortunately they don't have as bigger backing as P&O who are also big in the cruising market.

Re: SeaFrance goes under
 

P&O Cruises are no longer part of P&O since 2000, since 2003 they have been part of Carnival Corporation & plc a British/American company that is the worlds largest cruise operator!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%26O_Cruises

---------- Post added at 09:13 ---------- Previous post was at 09:10 ----------

However P&O ferries will be celebrating! They are the last operator of the Dover to Calais route!

---------- Post added at 09:18 ---------- Previous post was at 09:13 ----------

P&o Ferries run:

Dover - Calais

DFDS Seaways run:

Dover - Dunkerque

Brittany Ferries run:

Plymouth-Roscoff

Plymouth-Santander

NOTE: Brittany Ferries tried to buy Seafrance

Poole-Cherbourg

Poole-Santander

Portsmouth-St Malo

Portsmouth-Ouistreham

Portsmouth-Santander

Portsmouth-Bilbao

Re: SeaFrance goes under
 

I feel quite sorry for the 127 here but the hundreds in France are planks, they were told the company would go under if they didn't take a 10% pay cut or 10% job cuts and how did they respond, by striking and after running the company into the ground they really expected to run the company as a cooporative. I've spoken up for workers rights and Unions many times on this forum but when the situation is so bad and so clearly desperate strike action is irresponsible and frankly imo they got exactly what they deserved.

Re: SeaFrance goes under
 

Eurotunnel might by the Seafrance ships:

http://www.cityam.com/latest-news/eu...eafrance-sinks

DFDS will launch a join operation with LD Lines on the Dover-Calais route:

http://www.thisiskent.co.uk/DFDS-LD-...ail/story.html

---------- Post added at 16:31 ---------- Previous post was at 16:27 ----------

Brittany Ferries my also have a go at the remains of SeaFrance as they once tried, but failed to buy the company in 2009!

http://www.business-sale.com/news/ar...nce-30936.html

Re: SeaFrance goes under
 

I wonder if the unions involved have learned anything from this sad episode or whether they still feel striking is the best option even when the stakes are so high. I dare say many of their redundant members would now love their jobs back at 90% of their previous salaries. Where's the common sense?

Re: SeaFrance goes under
 

Yes l agree but thats typical of the more militant french workers attitude without more thought to the final outcome.

Re: SeaFrance goes under
 

Seafrances demise was caused mainly by the Channel Tunnel, the unions striking was a not the cause, if fact they tried to save their business

Also, The EU was also resposible by forcing seafrance to give back state aid money to the French Government which in turn trigged the closure of seafrance

Re: SeaFrance goes under
 

The last strike was the direct cause of the companies closure.

Re: SeaFrance goes under
 

I would agree with that! But The EU did not help either!