Dover Calais ferry

Photo Update (Spirit of Britain) – October 2010

2010-10-11T08:00:00.001-07:00

New pictures of the Spirit of Britain and the Spirit of France, the new supersized ships being built for the Dover Calais Ferry route.

Photo Update (Spirit of Britain) – October 2010
Ship Build Updates, Uncategorized

11/10/2010

STX Europe, Finland. Some of the more eagle-eyed amongst you may have noticed in last months photo update that the ‘P&O’ painted on the Spirit of Britain looked a bit odd – it turns out it was not finished! So here is a picture with the finished livery and a photo of our ’sparkly clean’ dedicated car deck…..

Spirit of britain, now in her final livery

The dedicated card deck. Without lorries and coaches, hopefully the car deck will remain this clean for years to come!

filed under Ship Build Updates, Uncategorized

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via blog.onenewera.co.uk

I think these new ferries are going to make sailing from Dover to Calais more popular than the tunnel again.

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New Dover Calais Ferry Photos

2010-09-20T10:10:00.001-07:00

The P & O New Ships Blog has been busy posting lots of pictures from the shipyard in Finland where the new Dover Calais Ferry pair of ships are being constructed.

Photo Update (Spirit of Britain) – September 2010
Ship Build Updates, Uncategorized

20/09/2010

STX Europe, Finland. With work continuing at pace on both vessels now, I’ve decided to split the photo updates from the yard into Spirit of Britain and Spirit of France separate updates.

As mentioned previously much of the ongoing work on the Spirit of Britain involves the fitting out of the internal spaces and as these begin to take shape we will bring you more pictures of these spaces.

In the meantime, this months updates shows the final ships livery taking shape and in reply to some of your requests, some more ‘techy’ images…..

The main 'P&O' is now in place and work underway on the two blue bands that run around the vessel. Unfortunately, in this picture its difficult to see the two seperate lines as, just like when painting at home, the yard have used a masking tape type effect to keep their lines straight!

The view across the ship's bridge as work commences installing all the equipment required to sail a ship of this scale

The Engine Control Room (ECR) looks a little like something from a sci-fi film. In total there is over 700km of cabling onboard the Spirit of Britain!

These odd looking green tubes (6 in view) are the air conditioning units for the Spirit of Britain

via blog.onenewera.co.uk

I remember when the Herald, Pride and Spirit of Free Enterprise were introduced and seemed just too enormous. But these are a whole scale bigger again. Actually the maximum size possible with current ( and future ) facilities at the ferry ports of Dover and Calais.

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Episode 9 Back from France

2010-09-02T01:38:00.001-07:00

We came back on this side of the English Channel from France after the weekend away on the Eurostar from Lille, but we could just have easily taken the slower train through the North of France and then Dover Calais Ferry across the English Channel. That's probably what I would have done if I still lived in East Kent rather than London. Anyway, I had to rush straight into doing the weekly podcast as usual, but having been away on a short break in France, I found myself singing one of the songs in French.

A couple of hours back from taking a short break in France, I still wanted to do the weekly podcast but episode 9 nearly got lost forever due a glitch with Ustream. This morning is had processed OK though, so here we have the Andy Roberts Podcast Episode 9 with some new and old songs as usual. I’m still working on the combined song about the walk and the rain, with the six string open tuned in D minor, so I had a go at that one live to kick off the show last night. There’s still more work to be done, but it seems to be a slow process with this one.

The other songs are all played on the 12 string guitar again.

So here are the links for Podcast Episode 9:

Standard Podcast [00:29:00m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Subscribe to the podcast RSS feed using the url:

http://andyroberts.me/?feed=podcast

Subscribe in iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/podcast/andy-roberts/id378470885

You can also download the MP3 audio file which is 27.9Mb in size and 29 minutes long from this link

09 Andy Roberts Podcast Episode 9.mp3

There’s also a stored video file from the live broadcast over at Ustream.tv where the podcasting event takes place on Tuesdays at 7.00pm UK time

Video Podcast Episode No 9

Podcast Episode 9 Show Notes

Show notes and information for Podcast Episode 9 broadcast on August 31st, published on September 1st 2010.

Working Title: Changes

Unfinished work with lyrics and music by And Roberts

Biggleswade Stomp

Just a quick blast of the Biggleswade stomp by Andy Roberts and Gaseous Mass

Reason To Believe

An old favourite song by Tim Hardin, which you may know as the A side of Maggie May by Rod Stewart.

San Fransisco – Maxime le Forestier

My favourite song to sing in French, by one of France’s best loved singer songwriters from the 1970s.

Mazet – Andy Roberts

After meeting up with one of my old pals from the Cafe Mazet last week after 30 years, I couldn’t resist playing this one.

Now That I’m Living Here – Andy Roberts

Another Andy Roberts Revival song, I had to relearn the chords to this one last year but ever since have kept it high in the repertoire.

via andyroberts.me

Maybe I'll learn that other song about "The Night Ferry is taking me home again". I remember the night ferry well of course, standing on the Western Docks pier at Dover waiting for the train ferry in the middle of the night and then having to walk all round the port at Calais to catch the train to Paris at the other end. Those were the days... NOt!

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Green Ferry Trips Around the World

2010-09-01T16:25:00.001-07:00

Sometimes the waterway is both greener and faster than the highway. Though ferries are bigger than cars and usually use more fuel, they can carry hundreds of people and cars at one time. Plus, they are also often the shortest route from point A to point B -- meaning a fraction of the mileage that would be spent in a car. In cities that offer commuter ferries to keep rush hour under control, ferries are also a solution to traffic jams -- meaning less stress as well as fuel consumption.
How Can Technology Reduce Global Shipping’s Fuel Consumption?
There are some great examples around the world so lest hope the Dover Calais Ferry can lead the way in terms of green ferry crossings.

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Ramsgate to Ostend cross channel ferry

2010-08-16T07:48:00.001-07:00

New Cross Channel Ferry Services Available

DirectFerries have announced that they are now offering the Transeuropa Ferries cross channel ferry service between the UK and Belgium.

The Transeuropa Ferries service runs 6 times daily between the ports of Ramsgate in the South East of England and Ostend in Belgium.

A spokesman for DirectFerries commented

Our aim is to provide our customers with a complete online ferry service covering every ferry route in Europe. With the addition of the Transeuropa Ferries service to our product, it gives our customers an alternative to the Dover - Calais and Dunkerque crossings and a more direct option for onward travel to Belgium and Holland.

The cross channel sailing takes around 4 hours, and the crossing is the only direct sea route ferry link between England and Belgium. Prices start from as little as £49 each way for a car and up to 9 people

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dover calais ferry news

2010-05-08T05:26:00.001-07:00

dover calais ferry offers

Savings on the P&O Dover-Calais ferry crossing. May 7, 2010, 7:44 pm.
As part of “National Ferry Fortnight”, an initiative set up by the
Passenger Shipping Association, if you book your ferry crossing with
P&O Ferries before Sunday 22nd.

PandO Ferries Offer Details - Dover - Calais any duration From £30
each way Dover - Calais any duration From £30 each way from PandO
FerriesOffer

P & O operate the Cross Channel ferries route from Dover to Calais,
Norfolk Line operate from Dover to Dunkirk, whilst LD Line operate
from Dover to Boulogne The slightly longer routes from Newhaven to
Dieppe.

The cost of ferries between Dover and Calais and nearby ports remain
relatively good value – return tickets in August can still be had for
well under £100. But if you are thinking of taking one of the longer
ferry crossings expect to pay more.

PO Ferries announces the arrival of 2 of the largest new ferries ever
between Dover & Calais. The Ships are due for delivery.

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Stories from the Dover Calais ferry

2010-01-12T10:53:00.001-08:00

In the various roundabouts on the return ferry journey it is
surprising to notice the various drills and machines used to construct
the tunnel under the English Channel from Dover to Calais. If you are
lucky on a clear day from the ferry you can see even the white cliffs
of Dover! Calais is a popular spot for British tourists because it is
too easy, both from the ferry and through the Channel Tunnel and the
price of wine and cheese is so much friendlier.

£19 Dover to Calais ferry Trip

£19 Dover to Calais Trip Plus 6 Bottles of Wine. Sail from Dover to
Calais for just £19 with P&O Ferries, but don; forget to get your car
insurance up to date before taking a cross channel driving holiday in
France.

The recognition of packet routes similar to Dover to Calais in France,
Harwich to Hook of Holland nearby Rotterdam as well as Holyhead to
Dublin meant that holidays in Europe have been increasingly expected
as the norm with British holidaymakers. Getting from Southern England
to Belgium by ferry without a trip across Paris need some careful
research. I think you can catch a train to Dover, then a ferry to
Calais, and train to Brugge without going to Paris. Of course it would
be better to get a ferry straight to Zeebrugge.

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Dover Calais Ferry Competition

2010-01-02T09:29:00.001-08:00

The main Dover Calais Ferry operators are P and O Ferries and
SeaFrance but with any duopoly there's always room for a third
contender to sneak in through the crack between them, as indeed did P
& O Ferries themselves do back in the days when the ont Dover Calais
Ferries were either Townsend Thoresen (European Ferries) or Sealink.

For example, ferry operator LD Lines has introduced a 'best-value
cross-Channel early-booking' offer from £18 each way via its exclusive
Dover-Boulogne route. The offer is valid for a car and two people.

LD Lines is a subsidiary of Louis Dreyfus Armateurs, a major player in
maritime transport with a fleet of over 60 ships operating worldwide.
LD Lines added the popular Dover-Boulogne crossing to their existing
ferry routes in February 2009. This new service operates year round
and there are four crossings each way during the week.

The Norman Spirit operates the route with a crossing time of just
1h45. The Norman Spirit has capacity for 1850 passengers, 700 cars and
110 freight vehicles.

Bolougne is just thirty kilometres from Calais and it's a much nicer
town to visit for a day trip or indeed to end a motoring holiday in
France. So the Dover Boulogne route is in close competition with the
more numerous Dover Calais ferry fleet.

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dover calais ferry 14/12/09

2009-12-14T05:21:00.001-08:00

Cheap trip to Calais.

Thought we would take day trip to Calais yesterday as supplies of Wine
ran out. £30 day return was good as far as we were concerned. Got to
Dover and realised Warning Triangle was in the other car.
Travelling Onboard Ferries to France
In the UK, Dover and Portsmouth are amongst the most popular points of
boarding, and these ports run ferries to different international
locations. Calais is one of France's most popular port, and ferries
between Dover and Calais run at very frequent intervals all year
round, even if they are only half full.

dover calais ferry

I used to live in a house up on a hill in East Kent with a great view
of the English channel and the Dover Calais ferry from my living room
window and you could watch the ferries all the way across to the other
side of the English Channel on a clear day.

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Fastnet Line - Swansea-Cork online bookings open

2009-12-10T09:20:00.001-08:00

Fastnet Line Swansea Cork Bookings

Fastnet line have announced that the Swansea Cork online booking
system and pricing is now available on the website at
www.fastnetline.com.

The Swansea to Cork service will commence on March 1st 2010, sailing
from Cork to Swansea, departing at 21:00 arriving in Swansea at 07:00
the next morning. See the website for the full schedule.

Special Opening Offer - Kids Travel FREE on Fastnet Line !!
That’s right - simply book at least one adult ticket with vehicle for
travel during 2010
- and up to three children can travel with you absolutely free!
Bookings must be made before 1st April 2010, children must be under 16
on the date of travel, excludes cabin.

If you need further information or have any queries, please check our FAQ at

http://www.fastnetline.com/faqs.html

We look forward to welcoming you on board MV Julia in 2010.

Regards

Ann Cronin - Sales & Marketing Manager

p.s. - Please feel free to forward this information to anybody you
know who might be interested!

Fastnet Line, Ferry Terminal, Ringaskiddy, Cork, Ireland
Tel: + 353 21 4530440 Email: info@fastnetline.com Web: www.fastnetline.com

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ferry from Dover

2009-12-02T02:07:00.001-08:00

Ferry from Dover to Calais
Plans for simpler train ticketing in Europe derailed
Until May 2007, it was perfectly possible to buy a through ticket from
London by rail and boat (using the ferry from Dover to Calais) to
points on the continent. Through ticketing by Eurostar to various
points in France and Switzerland.

Dover esplanade gets £2m overhaul: New Start - Latest news for Dover Ferry Port
The esplanade is recognised as an important amenity for Dover
residents and is often the first encounter with the town for many
ferry and cruise passengers. The £2m project to revive the esplanade
is funded by the SeaChange programme.

Ferry in English Channel
A longer ferry crossing can mean fewer miles to drive, which means
less petrol and less stress. If you live in Wales or the West of
England, say it would be silly to drive to Dover if your eventual
destination is southern France.We were ready to roll at the glorious
hour of 5am and gave ourselves plenty of time to head to Dover for our
ferry crossing....but the traffic Gods had other ideas. 20 minutes
into our journey and we were at a standstill for well over half an
hour.

A few miles can make an awful lot of difference to paying for your
retirement - if you live in Dover; you have no choice about buying an
annuity before your 75th birthday because if you don't, you may face a
massive tax penalty. ... Now catch the ferry and 90 minutes later move
in to your new home just a few miles away in Calais. After a while you
will qualify as non-UK resident but you still retain your UK pension
rights. Instead of having a UK pension plan, you transfer.

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Stormy Weather disrupts Channel Ferries

2009-11-19T02:18:00.001-08:00

Winds gusting to speeds of 100mph and driving rain and lighting have
been experienced in many parts of the UK.

Cross-Channel ferry services from Dover, Plymouth and Pool were
disrupted and canceled due to the weather on 17th November, with more
storms expected coming in from the Atlantic.

Any sea route can be affected by storms but the number of sailings
lost per year on average is normally very low in the English Channel.

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Is the Fast Cat Ferry suitable for the Bristol Channel Ilfracombe to Swansea link?

2009-11-05T06:05:00.001-08:00

Severn Link chairman Chris Marrow has had to address concerns about the capability of the newly purchased Fast Cat ferries to cope with the new Ilfracombe to Swansea ferry route across the Bristol Channel.

The announcement of the new ferry crossing due to start sailing at Easter 2010 prompted a number of concerned voices to make themselves heard.

The Fast Cats which will run daily from Ilfracombe in North Devon to Swansea in South Wales have been bought for the new route from the Isle of Wight service, but Derek Gawn, from Ireland said he had lived on the Isle of Wight for some time and his experience was that anything more than "a slight blow" would mean the fast passenger ferry was suspended to avoid the bad weather, or replaced by a car ferry.

In his comment he said:

"I lived for 48 years on the Isle of Wight. I have been in the Merchant Navy. I have worked on passenger ships. I know the sea. I know all about the Solent, where these vessels have been running. I have travelled on these two vessels. When they operated between the Isle of Wight and Portsmouth their reliability was almost laughable — and that was a 4.5 mile trip in semi-sheltered waters. What on earth will a 20-plus mile trip across a very exposed stretch of water be like? It will be great on the best days of the summer, but the chance of running on bad days or in the winter will be pretty slim. Don't get me wrong, it's a great idea — but the wrong vessels."

Chris Marrow, chairman of Severn Link, has replied saying "Yes, there will be times when it is too bumpy for a crossing, but you're going to get that whatever the vessel. The alternative is simple — no ferry. We are all professional sea-farers and we are consulting with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). The Fast Cats do have good sea-keeping qualities, but none-the-less these are 40m vessels and we are aware of the fact that they will sometimes be weather limited. But we are still discussing the limitations with the MCA. The vessels can cope up to a certain level, but after that they won't sail, but that's true of any ferry. The problems these vessels had at the Isle of Wight weren't to do with conditions out at sea, but primarily with what they were like at Ryde Pier, where they were often unable to land.

"Our main concern is that we won't strand anyone. Day-trippers will be refunded and anyone who is planning a holiday will be offered an alternative journey by coach — it won't be what they hoped for, but at least they won't be stranded."

Sea trials in the Bristol Channel are due to be carried out in the coming weeks, with the MCA, and the first Severn Link ferry is due to make the crossing around Easter-time next year.

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Severn Link A new major ferry route joining England and Wales

2009-10-29T03:51:00.001-07:00

NEXT SPRING, WE’RE MOVING ENGLAND AND WALES FOUR TIMES CLOSER TO EACH OTHER.

DERREN BROWN, EAT YOUR HEART OUT.

British company Severn Link announces the first modern ferry service to connect South Wales and South West England

_______________________

Today, ferry operator Severn Link has announced plans to transform the lives of thousands of travellers within South Wales and the South West of England – with the creation of a regular fast, fun and affordable passenger ferry service between Swansea and Ilfracombe, due to commence operation early next year.

The Severn Link service will be the very first time a regular modern ferry route has joined the two shores of the Bristol Channel – creating a unique and much-needed connection between one of England’s most visited tourist areas and the populous economic and cultural hub of Wales. The Severn Link service is a bold new step to reconnect the communities, heritage and history of two areas which, despite lying within sight of each other, have never before had the opportunity within modern times to take advantage of their neighbouring status – whether practically, economically and socially.

Regular transport links between the two areas have, in modern times, been limited to road or rail travel, adding many hours onto travel times and many more pounds onto travel costs. By travelling via Severn Link ferry, travel times and environmental impact will be drastically cut – with its swift 34 knot, 360 passenger catamarans taking just fifty minutes to complete a journey which would take at least four times as long by car.

Severn Link is the brainchild of Chris Marrow, a highly respected marine professional and pioneer of international repute - and one of the few people in the UK with a proven track record in creating new ferry routes, all of which are in operation today. Chris has brought together a team of the highest possible calibre who share the Severn Link vision - including one of Britain’s top marine engineers, a world renowned fast ferry specialist and internationally respected financial expertise.

Speaking of the reasons behind setting up Severn Link, Chris said, “To my knowledge, there is no other comparable stretch of water in the world, linking similarly populated areas, which doesn’t have a heavily utilised ferry service – and market research¹ has shown that there is a huge demand for this ferry route within South Wales and South West England. The Severn Link ferries will open up multiple opportunities – not just for ease of travel between the two regions for tourists, commuters and travellers, but also to help forge business links and bring the two neighbouring areas closer in many positive ways.”

Chris elaborated on just a few ways he perceived the Severn Link service as being beneficial to those living, working and travelling in the two regions. “Not only will the ferry service create easy travel to shopping and airport links in Cardiff and Swansea, it will assist with links to major sporting events and offer previously unviable day tripper and short break connections between the many tourist attractions throughout the wider areas of the South West of England and South Wales. Additionally we see Severn Link as instrumental in bringing the Celtic nations of Wales and Cornwall even closer together, including helping the thousands of families who are separated by the Bristol Channel to visit each other via fast, affordable and easy travel routes.”

The Ilfracombe – Swansea route is just the first route in a series of planned major destinations on both sides of the Bristol Channel, with plans for more exciting routes between South Wales and the northern coast of South West England currently in development and due to be announced next year.

Support for the forthcoming ferry service has been widespread with businesses, tourism chiefs and council dignitaries all lending their patronage. Councillor Chris Holley, Swansea Council Leader, said, “This is terrific news that comes in the wake of the announcement that the Swansea to Cork ferry is being reinstated. A fast cat service from Swansea to Ilfracombe would be a boost for the city’s tourism economy and would allow Swansea people easier access to Devon and the South West of England. The service would also introduce many visitors from the Devon area to Swansea Bay for the very first time where I’m sure attractions such as Gower would make a hugely positive impression and would encourage people to return. We’ve got so much in Swansea that would appeal to visitors. Investment in recent years has seen the opening of the £32million LC leisure centre, the National Waterfront Museum and the state-of-the-art Aspers casino. We’re fortunate to have first-class facilities and attractions that cater for all ages and interests.”

Leader of North Devon Council, Councillor Des Brailey commented, "This is fantastic news for Ilfracombe and will provide a tremendous boost to the economy as it presents so many opportunities for the town itself and the wider North Devon. This shows that external private investors have high confidence in the town and paves the way for a really exciting future for Ilfracombe."

Swansea West Assembly Minister, Andrew Davies, spoke of the positive benefits the ferry service will bring to his constituency. "I am delighted that the Severn Link Swansea-Ilfracombe ferry will shortly be operating from the city. This will not only provide a welcome and regular service between south Wales and south west England but will also provide a number of good jobs for Swansea boosting the local economy and tourism. I wish it every success."

The Severn Link website (www.severnlink.com) is now live and available to view destinations, ferry information, book advance tickets and discover further details about the company. You can also visit and follow Severn Link on Facebook and Twitter and get a preview of the ferry fleet on YouTube.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Download now or preview on posterous

Full Severn Link Press Pack - National.doc (1679 KB)

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Fastnet Line new Cork Swansea ferry service

2009-10-24T06:19:00.001-07:00

INTRODUCING A NEW UK - IRELAND FERRY SERVICE!

the new Cork-Swansea Ferry

Over the coming months the Julia prepares to sail and you will be the first to know about any great introductory offers.

Some key points about the new Fastnet Line Wales to Ireland ferry service :-

The service begins on 1^st March 2010 - and is planned to operate year-round - for convenient travel both in and out of season.
Saves you 600km (375 miles) driving on a round trip and connects Cork direct to the M4 motorway (with hassle-free access to London, the south-west and the midlands)
Sailings between Cork & Swansea planned six nights a week, with additional sailings during peak periods and for special events.
Overnight sailings departing at 21.00 & arriving 07.00 next day - so you arrive relaxed and ready to continue your holiday or onward journey.
Efficient, straightforward on-line booking system (coming soon) - so you don't have to spend hours 'on hold' waiting for an operator.
Over 300 Cabins and ample 'Pullman' seating, for a comfortable, relaxing trip
Capacity for 1,860 passengers, 440 Cars, 40 Trucks - plenty of room for commercial and leisure travellers alike
Extensive selection of Bars, Restaurants, Shopping, Cinema and Kids Area on board - not just a ferry crossing - more of a mini-cruise - your holiday starts the moment you get on-board!
Julia is currently docked in Cork City at Horgan's Quay preparing for initial sailing - if you're in the area, come and see her from the quayside - she's impressive!
The Julia and Fastnet Line are owned by a co-operative of small investors - we aim to be the most customer-focused ferry service on the Irish Sea.
Visit the website for more information, to pre-register, to give us your comments and suggestions or to find out about partnering opportunities for Travel Agents and Group organisers with Fastnet Line
Contact
www.fastnetline.com

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Dover Channel ferry to Calais

2009-10-21T05:18:00.000-07:00

DOVER, UNITED KINGDOM - SEPTEMBER 12: Passengers queue to board the Channel ferry to Calais on September 12, 2008 in Dover, England. A fire, had broken out the previous day on a freight train 11km from the Calais entrance prompting the evacuation of all 32 people on board, with no casualties.

Dover Calais Ferry Ships Safety

2009-09-04T00:53:00.001-07:00

Dover Calais Ferries Ships Safety

If you travel on the large car ferries from Dover to Calais whether
with P&O or SeaFrance you may notice an absence of conventional
lifeboats and wonder how do you get off in an emergency. For instance
the Pride of Canterbury has no lifeboats and as far as anybody can
see, no liferafts visible. The Seafrance vessels are much the same,
but do have a couple of liferafts.

The answer is tha they use a 'MarinArk' or similar Marine Escape
System. All you will see on the outside of the superstructure is
square shaped panels. When deployed you get either a vertical tunnel
or sloping chute where the people slide down into a large infaltable
holding area and from there are decanted to the inflateable rafts or
may go straight into rafts. Most, if not all the kit ( does vary from
make to make ) will not be visible when it is stowed. This is similar
to the chutes used on aircraft.

There are occasional tests on the Dover Calais Ferry route when the
system is tried out with voluteers on a special sailing for crews to
practice putting the system though its paces. The evacuation of large
numbers in a short time by a smal crew is impressive.

The Pride of Dover and the Pride of Calais were the first of the Dover
fleet to have MES fitted in conjuction with conventional lifeboats.
The Spirit of Free Enterprise, Herald of Free Enterprise, Pride of
Free Enterprise, all had a 16 Liferaft MES System on D Deck in
conjunction with Lifeboats which were lowered from E Deck.

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Ferry DFDS Seaways - Fuel Surcharges

2009-08-26T04:09:00.001-07:00

Ferry Fuel Surcharge

With effect from 1st September 2009, the ferry company DFDS Seaways will be
introducing a fuel surcharge across all of their products. The price
of oil has reached a level which gives DFDS Seaways considerable extra
costs for the purchase of fuel. The temporary fuel surcharge will be
£5pp each way and children are exempt from the surcharge.

Their website at www.dfds.co.uk is updated with the new fuel-inclusive
prices since Saturday 29th August 2009.

The price of oil has fluctuated a great deal during the last year, and
the ferry company chose to wait as long as possible before
introducing a surcharge. Now the price of oil has stabilised at a high
level so they can no longer absorb the higher fuel costs by making
savings in other places.

Other ferry cpmpanies are expected to follow suit, if they have not
done so already.

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Dover Calais Ferry

2009-08-14T00:08:00.000-07:00

Dover Calais Ferry Experience

As soon as I get onboard the Dover Calais Ferry I feel like I am on holiday already. It's a wonderful feeling once that ship pulls out of Dover's Eastern Docks, with a view of the white cliffs and Dover Castle behind me, knowing that in just over an hour we'll be arriving in Calais. I like to wander around the decks for a short while, look out through the big windows and then settle down with a beer or something for the short but exciting journey. Out through the gap between the breakwaters, past fisherman's wharf and point Alpha and it's out into the open sea, the straits of Dover - probably the busiest shipping lane in the World. We pass several other roll on roll off car ferries en route sailing in both directions, and glimpse one or two of the massive container ships and tankers that are making their way along the English channel, perpendicular to our route to Calais.

If it's not too busy I'll take a look in the gift shop - formerly the duty free, but I'm not that bothered. I know there's be plenty of good value wines and pastis waiting for me in France and I don't smoke. The restaurant is a good option, but only if you decide right away on boarding that you;re going to order a meal. It's no use suddenly deciding to get hungry half way across because there's not enough time. Half way point is a significant occasion, it means that you're closer to France than England so you know which way to swim in an emergency.

Dover Calais Ferry Docking

Nearing France, the Dover Calais Ferry starts making announcements telling the crew to start preparing for disembarkation and everything gets busy. Calais is so different to Dover, with it's flat estuarine type landscape, long sea walls and fishing port near where the ferry docks. Once through cutoms and immigration, I get on board a high speed train and am whisked off to my final destination - the French interior.