FERRY
Russell Plummer
Ramsgate-Ostend co-operation ends New role for veteran TRANSEUROPA for tourist passengers. TEF general manager Dominique Penel said: ‘We have been very satisfied with the co-operation, but market conditions and tonnage requirements have contributed towards this decision. Both companies will continue to study opportunities to renew commercial agreements and work together again in the future.’
Larkspur and Eurovoyager at Ramsgate.
CANARY ISLANDS A former Irish Sea freight workhorse, once P&O’s Ibex, has opened a new Boluda Lines service from mainland Spain to the Canary Islands. Reyes B (1979/6,310gt), built in Japan to serve P&O’s Fleetwood-Larne route, later had North Sea spells as Norsea and Norsky before returning to the Irish Sea as Ibex with an extra freight deck. Renamed European Envoy in 1998, the vessel was on the short-lived MostynDublin route from 2001 before sale in 2004. Now, as Reyes B (pictured), her weekly round trip leaves Seville to call at Arrecife, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and Las Palmas, Gran Canaria.
Boluda Lines
Nicholas Leach
TransEuropa Ferries ended its Ramsgate-Ostend route commercial agreement with LD Lines during March, ‘to better adapt to market demand and tonnage requirements of both operators.’ The announcement came several days after the LD-owned Ostend Spirit, formerly Norman Spirit, left the route The Ramsgate-Ostend freight and
passenger service continues with Gardenia (1978/8,097gt) and Larkspur (1976/14,558gt), while TransEuropa, who have Oleander (1980/13,191gt) and Eurovoyager (1976/12,110gt) on charter in the Mediterranean, look for a third Ramsgate vessel. Collaboration on commercial aspects of the Ostend service began in March 2010, with TransEuropa Ferries responsible for freight traffic and ship operations and LD Lines
Ferries in Libyan evacuations MEDITERRANEAN
PORT NEWS Residents of Dover have given a massive thumbs-down to Dover Harbour Board’s privatisation plans. In a referendum organised by the Dover People’s Port Trust, 5,244 voted for a port owned by the people of Dover, with just 113 against the idea. Organised by Dover District Council, with a 25 per cent turn-out among the 21,000 people eligible to vote, the result, although non-binding on the government, was a negative reaction to DHB’s privatisation plans. Local Member of Parliament Charlie
Elphicke commented: ‘I hope this will give strength to the campaign to ensure the port of Dover is owned by the people of Dover.’ He said there is a strong case to the Secretary of State for Transport that residents’ voices should be listened to. A decision is still awaited following last year’s request from Dover Harbour Board, which has run the port as a trust since 1606, for permission to privatise. A port spokesperson said: ‘We will reflect on the result of this Dover town poll, but remain absolutely convinced that our voluntary scheme represents the best and only option.’
Russell Plummer
Russell Plummer
With strife in Libya continuing, two ferries were used as hospital ships early in April. Ankara, the Turkish vessel which with sister Samsun evacuated foreign nationals from Bizerta when crisis started in February, returned to evacuate wounded civilians from the besieged city of Miserta, taking them first to Benghazi and on to Istanbul. Medecins Sans Frontier chartered 34.5m Virtu Ferries catamaran San Pawl, usually linking Italy and Croatia, to carry more than 70 wounded men, women and children on a 280 mile journey from Miserta to Sfax in Tunisia. Although earlier evacuation of British citizens from Benghazi by HMS Cumberland hit the headlines,
significant numbers had already left aboard ferries, Turkey also using IDO’s Austal catamarans Orhan Gazi I and Osman Gazi, from Benghazi. Other Austal catamarans on the scene were Virtu Ferries’ pair San Gwann and Maria Dolores, running to Malta, while Greece acted with ANEK twins Hellenic Spirit and Olympic Champion arriving in Tripoli before same operator’s El Venizelos, Hellenic Seaways’ Express Santorini and Minoan Lines pair Europa Palace and Knossos Palace made special sailings together with Italian ships, including SNAV Toscana and Grimaldi-owned Cruise Roma and Tunisian ferry Habib. The most unusual charter saw ANEK’s Lissos leave Libya to take around 1,000 Vietnamese workers all the way home.
Dover plan unpopular
ABOVE: After taking Vietnamese workers home from Libya, Greek ferry Lissos is expected to be sold for scrap in the Far East.
ABOVE: Dover Castle above Pride of Burgundy and SeaFrance Moliere at Eastern Docks Berths 7 and 8 in March after a local referendum rejected proposals for privatisation of the port.
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