LD Lines confirms transfer of ferry
Ferry Online Travel News 19/08/2010
Ferry operator LD Lines has confirmed it is moving a vessel off the Dover-Boulogne route.
Ferry operator LD Lines has announced that it will transfer one of the vessels currently serving the Dover-Boulogne route. The Norma Bridge, one of two ships LD Lines has operating cross-channel services between Dover and Boulogne is to be transferred to their France-Spain route operating between Saint Nazaire and Gijon.
The new route is a joint venture called GLD Atlantique. Ferry services will run between Sainte Nazaire (Nantes) in the northwest of France and Gijon in Northern Spain. There will be three return sailings a week between both of the two ports. Ferries will carry both accompanied and unaccompanied freight, as well as tourist passengers. For now, the Norman Bridge will continue operating on the Dover – Boulogne route. The ship will end its service on this route on 30 August. The Norman Bridge will commence service on the Sainte Nazaire – Gijon route starting 2 September.
The move results from a continued lack of volume on the cross-channel route. Christophe Santoni, Managing Director at LD Lines, said there is a glut of capacity on the Dover Strait, and overall levels of tourist and freight business across the channel continue to sag. LD Lines had been hoping that bringing a second vessel into service on the Dover – Boulogne route would generate increased traffic but this has failed to materialize.
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