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Displaying items by tag: Hard Border

#HardAPort- Michel Barnier, the European Union's chief Brexit negotiator says he wants to avoid a "hard border" between the UK and Ireland, reports the Daily Post.

Fears have been raised that Holyhead port on Anglesey, north Wales could suffer if customs checks are brought back between the Republic and the UK.

Mr Barnier today addressed both houses of the Irish parliament on the issue of Brexit with huge concerns in the Republic, particularly on the issue of the border with Northern Ireland.

Labour's Ynys Mon General Election candidate Albert Owen welcomed the comments and said if re-elected he would create a 'Brexit Forum' on Anglesey to highlight potential issues.

Mr Barnier said: "European integration helped to remove borders that once existed on maps and in minds.

"Brexit changes the external borders of the EU. I will work with you to avoid a hard border.

To read more click here.

Published in Ferry

#BrexitDonegal - The possibility of utilising harbours in Greencastle or even Buncrana, reports Donegal Now for commercial shipping could yet emerge as one of the unexpected positive consequences of Brexit.

If, as seems increasingly likely, a "hard border" is established, this could mean the reintroduction of customs posts and the imposition of duties on goods passing between Northern Ireland and the Republic.

However, Brexit could open the door for new shipping traffic into Donegal.

The possibility of general cargo using a port like Greencastle was raised this week by Seamus Bovaird of the Greencastle Harbour Users Group.

He floated the possibility that coal and animal feedstuffs could come by ship directly to Donegal.

To read more on this story, click here. 

Published in Ports & Shipping

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).