jonno Posted August 31, 2020 Share Posted August 31, 2020 The routes aren't closing, they are temporarily being suspended. Poole - Cherbourg using Barfleur is still very much on the agenda in 2021 combined with the rail link and as far as PIP operations are concerned the link to Cherbourg - if suspended - is also a component of BF's service provision in 2021. 2 Link to post Share on other sites
Khaines Posted August 31, 2020 Share Posted August 31, 2020 1 minute ago, jonno said: The routes aren't closing, they are temporarily being suspended. Poole - Cherbourg using Barfleur is still very much on the agenda in 2021 combined with the rail link and as far as PIP operations are concerned the link to Cherbourg - if suspended - is also a component of BF's service provision in 2021. Took the words right out of my mouth. Link to post Share on other sites
TonyMWeaver Posted August 31, 2020 Share Posted August 31, 2020 Scaremongering by Paul Clifton! 3 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Cabin-boy Posted August 31, 2020 Share Posted August 31, 2020 5 minutes ago, TonyMWeaver said: Scaremongering by Paul Clifton! Presumably there are no dead hedgehogs causing snarl ups on The Avenue in Southampton so he had to find something else to tweet about. Ed. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
veryoldbear Posted August 31, 2020 Share Posted August 31, 2020 23 hours ago, BobCrox said: AFAIK there are ship cleaning machines like giant sunken car washes scattered around the oceans which large ships sail through occasionally. These are not needed to the same extent if the ship stays in cold water. Er ... no Link to post Share on other sites
Seashore Posted August 31, 2020 Share Posted August 31, 2020 I’m very inclined to agree @veryoldbear, I’ve never heard of that and sounds like sci fi. Link to post Share on other sites
cvabishop Posted August 31, 2020 Share Posted August 31, 2020 (edited) However there are remotely controlled scrubbing devices which can clean a ship's hull whilst it is berthed. Plenty of info online. Saves expensive dry docking. Edited August 31, 2020 by cvabishop Link to post Share on other sites
veryoldbear Posted August 31, 2020 Share Posted August 31, 2020 11 minutes ago, cvabishop said: However there are remotely controlled scrubbing devices which can clean a ship's hull whilst it is berthed. Plenty of info online. Saves expensive dry docking. Correct. But there is still nothing to beat putting a ship into drydock, giving it a good old clean off, inspecting the propellers, thrusters and stern seals, cleaning out the seachests, servicing the stabilisers and then giving it a coat of antifouling 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Cabin-boy Posted August 31, 2020 Share Posted August 31, 2020 3 minutes ago, veryoldbear said: Correct. But there is still nothing to beat putting a ship into drydock, giving it a good old clean off, inspecting the propellers, thrusters and stern seals, cleaning out the seachests, servicing the stabilisers and then giving it a coat of antifouling There must be a limited number of dry docks available which can take ships of 300+ metres in length and extra wide. Ed. Link to post Share on other sites
AdamW Posted August 31, 2020 Share Posted August 31, 2020 3 hours ago, TonyMWeaver said: Scaremongering by Paul Clifton! He has been very inaccurate in the past - for example his story about the GWR MD going to SWR and how this would help to resolve the SWR industrial action because he did a 'deal' with the RMT on the suburban trains in the London Thames Valley area.. Quote But here's a thought: Mr Hopwood did a deal with the RMT at Great Western. Most of its suburban trains run through the Thames Valley without a guard. On new trains, drivers operate the doors. All without a fuss, all without a strike. Said 'deal' was done about 25 years earlier under British Rail when the class 165/166 train was introduced by Network South East! https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-50607416 Link to post Share on other sites
Seashore Posted August 31, 2020 Share Posted August 31, 2020 12 minutes ago, Cabin-boy said: There must be a limited number of dry docks available which can take ships of 300+ metres in length and extra wide. Ed. Brest recently had Anthem of the Seas and NCL have dry docked the similarly sized Norwegian Getaway there too. Cadiz is used quite a bit, Carnival and Royal Caribbean tend to go there. A few Italian ports have large enough dry docks as does Rotterdam and Hamburg. One of the big ones though is Freeport docks in the Bahamas which suits for the many ships stationed in the Caribbean. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
hhvferry Posted August 31, 2020 Share Posted August 31, 2020 (edited) Whilst I think as suggested BF will be supported through this it's hard to understate the cataclysmic state the ferry industry is in. Long standing routes like Trelleborg-Sassnitz, Oslo-Frederikshavn and Stockholm-Helsinki closing, operators like Birka disappearing overnight, others like Moby, P&O and Viking Line on the brink. This is a bloodbath and the ferry business we see on the other side will be smaller, with fewer idiosyncratic operators and even more dominated by big players like Stena, DFDS and Grimaldi. Part of the process will be the loss of some very popular ships and it's conceivable we never see the likes of the Pride of York or Mariella in service again. Whatever the strategic plans were before, whatever the ideas for new operations were, they will mostly be out of the window as operators seek to simply survive. Edited August 31, 2020 by hhvferry 4 Link to post Share on other sites
Chef Posted September 1, 2020 Share Posted September 1, 2020 On 30/08/2020 at 17:11, BobCrox said: AFAIK there are ship cleaning machines like giant sunken car washes scattered around the oceans which large ships sail through occasionally. These are not needed to the same extent if the ship stays in cold water. There're called reefs . 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites
ZinedineBiscan Posted September 1, 2020 Share Posted September 1, 2020 2 hours ago, Chef said: There're called reefs . I thought they bunged a few Kurdish blokes six quid to clean it like they do round here 3 Link to post Share on other sites
Cabin-boy Posted September 1, 2020 Share Posted September 1, 2020 Most of the city-center car-parks here in France are underground and the one in the middle of Angers has rented out 4 bays to an enterprising group of Poles who will wash your car while you have lunch or a drink in the square above. They never see daylight, have permanently wrinkly skin from the soapy water and snuffle through their masks due to the exhaust fumes they are inhaling. In fact they might be moles not Poles! Ed. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Paully Posted September 1, 2020 Share Posted September 1, 2020 Just now, Cabin-boy said: Most of the city-center car-parks here in France are underground and the one in the middle of Angers has rented out 4 bays to an enterprising group of Poles who will wash your car while you have lunch or a drink in the square above. They never see daylight, have permanently wrinkly skin from the soapy water and snuffle through their masks due to the exhaust fumes they are inhaling. In fact they might be moles not Poles! Ed. How much do they charge?? Link to post Share on other sites
David Williams Posted September 1, 2020 Share Posted September 1, 2020 (edited) Paul Clifton has not backed down when Tony challenged him & states that the information came from the top. I note that it got mentioned in the local BBC News last night. However, it is really the same information announced in the Saturday press conference in Roscoff. The Connemara stopping in September was mentioned there. The only difference is that Paul is saying cancelled as opposed to suspended. However we still do not have Le Havre timetables from November or NEX ones for next summer. Edited September 1, 2020 by David Williams Link to post Share on other sites
TonyMWeaver Posted September 1, 2020 Share Posted September 1, 2020 6 minutes ago, David Williams said: Paul Clifton has not backed down when Tony challenged him & states that the information came from the top Paul Clifton sent me a direct message this morning with the 'Info' he said he received yesterday morning which apparently "Came from the top". - It's only saying what we already knew. The only difference being the added suspension of the Portsmouth/Le Havre route. I only said to Paul Clifton that using the word 'Closing' was a poor choice of words. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
TonyMWeaver Posted September 1, 2020 Share Posted September 1, 2020 'Armorique' will be going to Le Havre, currently scheduled to arrive at 07:15 (Local Time) tomorrow morning. I expect 'Bretagne' will be laid-up there after September 7th. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Cabin-boy Posted September 1, 2020 Share Posted September 1, 2020 35 minutes ago, Paully said: How much do they charge?? No idea. I've never actually used them. I just park my car on the floor below and it gets a free shower from above. Ed. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Manxscorpio Posted September 1, 2020 Share Posted September 1, 2020 1 hour ago, Cabin-boy said: Most of the city-center car-parks here in France are underground and the one in the middle of Angers has rented out 4 bays to an enterprising group of Poles who will wash your car while you have lunch or a drink in the square above. They never see daylight, have permanently wrinkly skin from the soapy water and snuffle through their masks due to the exhaust fumes they are inhaling. In fact they might be moles not Poles! Ed. The same as many underground parking in Spain. Car valeting underground while you go shopping is common - maybe due to the high temperatures outside during the day. Link to post Share on other sites
David Williams Posted September 1, 2020 Share Posted September 1, 2020 (edited) Update << Regrettably this means the closure of the Cherbourg-Portsmouth and Le Havre-Portsmouth routes.>> - still could be temporary ! https://brittanyferriesnewsroom.com/further-schedule-changes-are-regrettable-but-necessary-says-brittany-ferries/ In the face of a terrible summer season and weak forward demand for services this autumn, Brittany Ferries has been forced to take further decisive action. It has confirmed further schedule changes to be implemented within the next week. The aim is to reduce costs as part of the company’s five-year recovery plan. It follows decisions by the UK government to impose quarantine restrictions on those arriving from Spain, and more recently France. This led to an immediate run on cancellations. Around 65,000 passengers have cancelled reservations since quarantine measures were announced. Furthermore, the company reports significantly weakened demand for services this autumn. “We carried virtually no passenger traffic between the months of April and June, as the Covid-19 crisis hit,” said Brittany Ferries director general Christophe Mathieu. “When we resumed, we had hoped to salvage 350,000 passengers from a summer season that would usually achieve more than double that number. “The reality however is that we are unlikely to reach 200,000. Passenger traffic accounts for around 75 percent of our income, so our bottom line has been hit hard. It’s is why we must continue to take decisive action to reduce our costs to get us through the worst of this unprecedented crisis.” The company has re-affirmed that its foundations are strong even in the fact of the worst crisis in its history. A robust five-year recovery plan is in place and the good news is that reservations for the 2021 season are strong. Around 100,000 more passengers have reserved a holiday next year, compared with those booking during the same period in 2019. However, in the short term more passengers will be affected by schedule changes. The company apologises to all affected customers, and says it will do all it can to accommodate them onto alternative sailings: The most significant change for September involves Brittany Ferries ‘Connemara’. Currently serving Cherbourg-Portsmouth and Le Havre-Portsmouth, she will be taken out of service entirely from 7 September. Regrettably this means the closure of the Cherbourg-Portsmouth and Le Havre-Portsmouth routes. It follows previously advised closure of the St-Malo Portsmouth route, with services terminating from 7 September. Cherbourg-Poole will also remain closed for the remainder of the year, having ceased operations at the end of March and not having resumed in June. The company’s busiest route Caen-Portsmouth remains unaffected for the next two months. Normandie and Mont St Michel will continue three daily departures as normal, with Armorique covering each ship’s technical stop in November and December respectively, running in freight-only mode. The full fleet plan for ships and routes follows: Ship Route Change Connemara Cherbourg – Portsmouth Le Havre – Portsmouth Laid up from 7 September, no further service on either route until further notice Bretagne St Malo – Portsmouth Laid up from 7 September, no further service until 22nd March Armorique Roscoff – Plymouth Laid up from 31 August From November, Armorique re-enters service on Caen-Portsmouth in freight-only mode, covering technical lay-overs of Normandie and Mont St Michel She will then be laid up between Jan 2021 and end of March 2021 Cap Finistère Bilbao – Portsmouth Santander – Portsmouth Service continues until a 3-month technical lay-over, beginning December. Pont-Aven Portsmouth – Santander Plymouth – Roscoff Plymouth – Santander Roscoff – Cork From 10 September until end of October, three return trips per week on Roscoff to Plymouth Plus, one weekly Plymouth to Santander sailing per week And one weekly Roscoff to Cork sailing Barfleur Poole-Cherbourg No resumption of service in 2020 Étretat Laid up until further notice Normandie Caen – Portsmouth Normal service (with technical lay-over in November) continues Mont St Michel Caen – Portsmouth Normal service (with technical lay-over in December) continues Kerry Roscoff – Rosslare Rosslare – Bilbao No Roscoff – Rosslare service from 7 September Rosslare – Bilbao continues as normal Normandie Express Cherbourg – Portsmouth (fast craft seasonal summer service) Pelican Bilbao – Poole (freight only) Normal freight-only service continues Galicia UK-Spain Enters service in December 2020 Edited September 1, 2020 by David Williams 1 Link to post Share on other sites
David Williams Posted September 1, 2020 Share Posted September 1, 2020 (edited) If Connemara & Etretat are laid up until further notice and Kerry continues as normal, is it possible that BF will continue Kerry with a cheap crew and have cut the lease costs on Connemara? If so the unions will not be happy ! ps and that could explain why no Roscoff visit ! Edited September 1, 2020 by David Williams Link to post Share on other sites
TonyMWeaver Posted September 1, 2020 Share Posted September 1, 2020 32 minutes ago, David Williams said: Update << Regrettably this means the closure of the Cherbourg-Portsmouth and Le Havre-Portsmouth routes.>> - still could be temporary ! Agreed, it certainly looks to be temporary only. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
David Williams Posted September 1, 2020 Share Posted September 1, 2020 6 minutes ago, TonyMWeaver said: Agreed, it certainly looks to be temporary only. However there is a use of different descriptions Bretagne / St Malo is a temporary closure with a restart date Connemara / Etretat laid up until further notice Barfleur - No resumption of service in 2020 Link to post Share on other sites
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