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Displaying items by tag: Ellan Vannin Line

#ManxLinkManx Radio reports that the head of a would-be competitor to the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company says he hasn't given up after being denied access to their linkspan in Douglas Harbour.

Captain Kurt Buchholz, chief executive of Ellan Vannin Line, says the government's decision is a blow but the company is determined to set up a rival ferry service.

He's now considering the company's next steps as it tries to challenge the linkspan user agreement with the Steam Packet.

Published in Ferry

#ManxLink - According to BBC Isle of Man,Elann Vannin Line which attempted to establish a ferry service between the Isle of Man and England has confirmed it will not be able to start in March.

Owners of Ellan Vannin Line, Sea Alliance, announced its plans last year, stating it would be an "alternative to the existing monopoly".
All island operations are currently handled by the Steam Packet Company.

Sea Alliance head Kurt Buchholz said he had submitted an application to the Manx government but heard nothing back.

 

Published in Ports & Shipping

#ManxLink - Captain Kurt Buchholz, founder of Ellan Vannin Line, has said that he has given the government a week to come back with a response to his application. He has indicated that if port authorities don't come back with the answers he wants, then: 'We might lose interest in proceeding further'.

He added: 'The government's slogan "Where you can" is a big joke.'

Captain Buchholz said an announcement will be made on Thursday this week about EVL's plans for a roll-on, roll-off daily cargo service between Douglas and Heysham, which he had hoped to launch at the end of March - and about its proposals for a TT passenger service.

The IOM Today.com  has more on this story, click here.

 

Published in Ports & Shipping

#ProposedManxFerry –There is "very high interest" in plans for a new ferry service on the Isle of Man which has prompted shipping operators to hold a public meeting.

The Ellan Vannin Line, owned by Manx company Sea Alliance aims to introduce a freight service this year and a passenger service in 2014.

All island operations are currently handled by the Steam Packet Company.

Sea Alliance head Kurt Buchholz will update progress at an open meeting in Nobles' Park at 18:00 (BST) on Friday. For more on this story the BBC has a report.

 

Published in Ferry

About Brittany Ferries

In 1967 a farmer from Finistère in Brittany, Alexis Gourvennec, succeeded in bringing together a variety of organisations from the region to embark on an ambitious project: the aim was to open up the region, to improve its infrastructure and to enrich its people by turning to traditional partners such as Ireland and the UK. In 1972 BAI (Brittany-England-Ireland) was born.

The first cross-Channel link was inaugurated in January 1973, when a converted Israeli tank-carrier called Kerisnel left the port of Roscoff for Plymouth carrying trucks loaded with Breton vegetables such as cauliflowers and artichokes. The story, therefore, begins on 2 January 1973, 24 hours after Great Britain's entry into the Common Market (EEC).

From these humble beginnings however, Brittany Ferries as the company was re-named quickly opened up to passenger transport, then became a tour operator.

Today, Brittany Ferries has established itself as the national leader in French maritime transport: an atypical leader, under private ownership, still owned by a Breton agricultural cooperative.

Eighty five percent of the company’s passengers are British.

Key Brittany Ferries figures:

  • Turnover: €202.4 million (compared with €469m in 2019)
  • Investment in three new ships, Galicia plus two new vessels powered by cleaner LNG (liquefied natural gas) arriving in 2022 and 2023
  • Employment: 2,474 seafarers and shore staff (average high/low season)
  • Passengers: 752,102 in 2020 (compared with 2,498,354 in 2019)
  • Freight: 160,377 in 2020 (compared with 201,554 in 2019)
  • Twelve ships operating services that connect France, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Spain (non-Covid year) across 14 routes
  • Twelve ports in total: Bilbao, Santander, Portsmouth, Poole, Plymouth, Cork, Rosslare, Caen, Cherbourg, Le Havre, Saint-Malo, Roscoff
  • Tourism in Europe: 231,000 unique visitors, staying 2.6 million bed-nights in France in 2020 (compared with 857,000 unique visitors, staying 8,7 million bed-nights in 2019).