NEWS\\\


Issue 6 2015 - Freight Business Journal DFDS signs ferries deal in bid to end Calais chaos


DFDS has signed an agreement with the SCOP-SeaFrance workers’ organisation and Eurotunnel to take over the Rodin and Berlioz ferries that were at the centre of the recent strikes and disruption in Calais. The ships were operated by Eurotunnel’s MyFerryLink subsidiary, which was given the thumbs-down by the UK competition authorities aſter a protracted legal battle, triggering the recent actions by Eurotunnel ferry subsidiary’s former workers. Under the deal, reached with the


assistance of the French transport minister on 31 August, DFDS is committed to employ 202 former SCOP-Seafrance employees in


its French organisation, rather more than had been originally proposed. Some


200 further former


MyFerryLink employees would be employed by Eurotunnel, a quarter of them as security staff and that 70 jobs would be lost at the former MyFerryLink operation in England. Depending on when


Eurotunnel is able to deliver the ships to DFDS Seaways, the Berlioz and Rodin are expected to be deployed during Q4 2015 on Dover-Calais together with Calais Seaways. DFDS Seaways will operate three ferries on the route instead of two currently; the


Truck trains could be answer to Calais problems


The recent chaos at the ports of Dover and Calais could prompt the government to revisit the idea of long distance lorry-carrying freight trains, says chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Freight Transport, Rob Flello. Mr Flello, who is Labour MP for


MP for Stoke-on-Trent South says that more resilience is needed in the UK supply chain, and one answer could be for a freight shuttle rail service to run from somewhere north of London, rather than relying solely on the Folkestone-Calais shuttle service to move freight through the tunnel. The idea of a longer distance


lorry-carrying service has been around in various guises for many years. It was initially suggested in the 1990s by the Central Railway Group, which envisaged the former Great Central route being reopened as a dedicated freight route from Sheffield through the East Midlands and on to London and the Channel Coast, carrying ‘trailer on flatcar’ and other intermodal traffic. A revised and updated version


of the scheme has more recently had the support of Luton North MP, Kelvin Hopkins, along with train operator, GB Railfreight. Mr Flello said: “The All-


Parliamentary Group has looked into whether freight shuttles could start from somewhere north of London. What we found though is that


it would


only happen if Government was prepared to invest the money.” While the group has not


produced detailed costings, the wider benefits could though be considerable, he added. Given the recent problems on the Channel, “perhaps it is time to revisit the idea,” he said. A freight north-south line


could offer better value than the mooted passenger-only High Speed 2 route, he added. The latter would not be designed to carry heavy freight and in any case it would have to close at night for maintenance and be unable to offer a service to freight users when it was most needed, he suggested. Many logistics companies were interested in putting traffic on rail – one unnamed major international courier had commissioned its own study – but were put off by the lack of a 24-hour service. The All-Parliamentary Group


was started about five years ago with the support of the Road Haulage Association and the Freight Transport Association. Formal membership is restricted to members of the House of Commons or House of Lords, but anyone with an interest in the subject can attend its meetings. One important issue that it


hopes to address is the lack of young talent in the industry and the general lack of appreciation of the freight and logistics sector. “Sadly, this can be reflected even among MPs,


reflected in the


number of attending debates and, sometimes, the quality of answers to questions. But to be fair, MPs are just a reflection of the wider country,” said Flello.


Malo Seaways, which currently sails alongside Calais Seaways, will be deployed elsewhere in DFDS’ network. DFDS will operate a total of six


ferries out of Dover to Calais and Dunkirk respectively, with three ferries on each route. DFDS Seaways senior vice


president, Carsten Jensen, said:


“This ends a long period


of uncertainty for both our employees and our customers


on the Channel as this agreement gives us the platform needed to create a sustainable ferry service on the Channel.


It also means


that we have an equal number of French and UK flagged ships on the Channel, making the service a truly Anglo-French partnership, which we believe is in everyone’s best interests.” Eurotunnel spokesman John


Keefe said on 4 September that company staff had just been able


to gain access to the ferries again and were dismayed to find that the Rodin had been badly vandalised. “Someone has slashed almost every seat with a knife, TVs, kitchen and laundry equipment have been stolen,” he told FBJ. It would be some weeks before the vessel was ready to hand over to its new operators, he said. Eurotunnel is meanwhile


still waiting to see if the UK Competition and Markets


3


Authority will approve its plans to operate a freight-only service using the remaining MyFerryLink vessel, the Nord Pas De Calais currently laid up but in operational condition in Dunkerque, and a yet to be acquired second freighter. This would employ around 130 crewmen and a further 20 shore staff – bringing the total number of people employed in the ferry industry to not many less than before the strikes.


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