Heavy fog has been cited as a contributory factor behind the death of a man whose fishing vessel collided with the Condor Vitesse off the French coast. The Condor Ferries vessel was heading to Jersey after departing St Malo when it reportedly struck a French fishing vessel carrying three men, one of whom died. The two other fishermen, aged 37 and 40, were rescued from the water and later treated at ...

Dame Kelly Holmes, an Olympic gold medallist, has attended the official naming ceremony of the Spirit of Britain. As P&O Ferries' latest passenger ferry vessel, the Spirit of Britain, which operates on the Dover - Calais route, attracted plenty of attention from the media, as Dame Kelly named it on Thursday. The ceremony was conducted at the Port of Dover's Eastern Docks to a crowd of select guests, who watched on in ...

Brittany Ferries is scheduled to launch its first crossing from Portsmouth to Bilbao tonight at 22:00 BST, having assumed control of the route from P&O Ferries. The Cap Finistere vessel will now ferry passengers between the UK and Spain in place of P&O Ferries' Pride of Bilbao. P&O Ferries cancelled all operations on the Portsmouth to Bilbao route, citing "unsustainable losses" as the primary reason behind the decision, which came into ...

The inhabitants of Dover have voted in favour of a proposal to hand control of the Port of Dover, which carries the popular Dover to Calais route, to local residents. Dover People's Port Trust had organised a referendum to decide whether the plan could go ahead in theory, as public support was a prerequisite of any official decision. The result of the referendum was overwhelming: 5,244 residents voted in favour of ...

P&O Ferries' new superferry, the Spirit of Britain, will be officially named at the Port of Dover next week by Dame Kelly Holmes. Costing approximately €180 million to build, the vessel is the sister ship of the Spirit of France, which is due to enter service in September. The Spirit of Britain can accommodate up to 2,000 passengers and features three large vehicle decks, making it ideal for combined passenger and ...

On the 10th March 2011, Fastnet Line celebrated its first anniversary of the Cork to Swansea route, which resumed on the corresponding date a year earlier after a four-year hiatus. Fastnet Line's return to the route has boosted economies in Ireland and Wales, with more than 80,000 passengers travelling between Cork and Swansea in the ten months from March to December last year. The service received a further boost this week, ...

A report published by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB), has criticised the watchkeeping aboard DFDS Seaways' Scottish Viking vessel, after a collision with a fishing vessel resulted in the death of a 16-year-old boy. The accident occurred on the 5th August 2010 at approximately 19:46 off the coast of St. Abbs. According to the MAIB report, the Zeebrugge-bound DFDS Seaways vessel collided with the Homeland fishing vessel, as a result ...

According to several sources, plans for a relief road between Weymouth and Dorchester off the A354 will not only improve the flow of traffic in the area, they will benefit ferry companies operating off Weymouth and Portland. It has been argued that ferry operator Condor Ferries previously restricted its activities in the area as a result of heavy traffic but, following the publication of the company's revised summer schedule, new confidence ...

Irish Continental Group (ICG), the parent company of Irish Ferries, has expressed concern for the current year, despite posting a 61 per cent rise in pre-tax profits for last year. This week, the ICG announced that its profits before tax soared from €24.9 million in 2009 to €40.1 million in 2010. Although partly stimulated by increased ferry activity resulting from last year's adverse weather conditions and the Icelandic ash cloud, which ...

Shortly after announcing a substantial rise in profits for its passenger business in 2010, Irish Continental Group (ICG), the owner of Irish Ferries, has announced a downturn in freight revenue. Describing the current freight market on the Irish Sea as operating in "one of the most difficult periods in recent economic history," ICG declared a 5.2 per cent fall in freight revenue for last year. ICG also announced that its ...