zuludelta

I think there will still be niche operators. In fact, as the modern cruise industry matures - fragmentation will be inevitable. Just two weeks ago, the cruise division of NYK signed off on a new build for 744 passengers with Meyer Werft. In 20 years time - could their ship (the Asuka II) garner the same following as the Marco Polo - possibly. Life moves on, so do ships. https://www.cruiseandferry.net/articles/nyk-cruises-orders-luxury-ship-from-meyer-werft

I'm just waiting for them to do a simulation of the Mont St Michel getting stuck in the Canal de Caen...

Greek company Hellenic Seaways have a livery / branding which is both contemporary and classy. The new BF livery is growing on me but I still think removing the front stripes on the Bretagne added about 20 years to her overnight.

I really don't know what IF are up to here. To date, they have made some very canny business decisions. I'm not so sure about this one. On the most operationally intensive ferry routes in the world, they are putting a 23-year old ship. They are launching a one-ship operation which means means if the old girl breaks down or has door issues, their time-sensitive freight customers will be stuck. IF have no economies of scale at Dover or Calais thus cost-wise (for IF), thus per truck or per car, this service will probably have the highest break-even point of all operators on this r

Yes, I'm sure they would have commissioned a bigger build.

Has the Flying Scotsman ever been to Scotland? In the early 1990's, BF's Spanish service was being filled to capacity during high-season. The Bretagne even though built for the route was now proving too small. Around the the same time, TT-Line experienced a drop in demand for their Germany to Sweden service and put their Nils Holgerson up for sale. This ship went for a facelift and refit in Italy and was transformed in the Val de Loire. Meanwhile, the Bretagne took over the Portsmouth - St Malo service in 1993. However, this would not be the last Santander would see of the Bretagne

Only a matter of time now until the market becomes flooded with fake BF key rings from the 70s

By this evening, it could reach BitCoin levels of inflation...

This does look like something you would find in a museum... EARLY BRITTANY FERRIES TRANSPORTATION CROSS CHANNEL ADVERTISING KEYRING | eBay

Maybe because "mRNA levels being too low" makes a lousy headline. Any journalist of a mainstream media outlet that dared cover a topic in this depth would probably get a rap on their knuckles from their editor. Newspapers now want nice click-bait headlines and they won't let scientific minutiae get in the way.... As a result, headlines like "Vaccine for Christmas" or "No, EU can't have our Jabs" are printed (The Daily Mail). Even scientific editors of the better mainstream titles will avoid covering a topic in too much depth. News has now been truly McDonalised...

Holy moly...after watching this video, I see exactly what you mean. And I'm sure this was probably one of the easier tunnels. The catchy music also probably makes this tunnel less frightening than it actually is...

CB, Norrona sails from the eastern coast of Iceland. Most of the flights to Europe leave from Reykjavik on the west coast. So this would be mean a really long bus journey across Iceland or would involve an internal flight to meet up with Norrona.

Stimulus to the local economy maybe or political symbolism? For a lot of these projects, their compatibility or suitability to existing infrastructure is rarely even on the agenda. Japan is notorious for this. https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/06/world/asia/06iht-06japan.19977986.html

so what extra steps have to be taken to re-commission conventional ferries after they've been tied up jonno?

I totally admire the honesty of this statement but he really shouldn't be saying stuff this to a mass media publication....Most tourists are like sheep, they like to follow the crowd. A statement like this could accelerate even more postponements or cancellations.