North East Ferry Companies Drop Routes

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[KDS]

Back up here in North East England two ferry companiesare having to drop their routes due to the rise in fuel costs and something tells me that this is going to be the end of the list.

DFDS Seaways: are dropping the Queen of Scandinavia on the Newcastle- Stavanger- Haugesund- Bergen route due to it not making a suitable profit and the fuel charges being too high this therefore means the end of the Queen of Scandinavia for good as she is to be sold or chartered.
Read thier statement here- http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-news/2008/05/28/ferry-route-axe-to-cost-300-jobs-61634-20984345/
 (http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-news/2008/05/28/ferry-route-axe-to-cost-300-jobs-61634-20984345/)

Blue Star Ferries/ Superfast: are dropping the Blue Star 1 on the Rosyth- Zeebrugge route due to the lack of passangers and the soring fuel prices meaning they are loosing too much money.
Read their statement here- http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/7424029.stm (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/7424029.stm)

Videos:http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7426149.stm (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7426149.stm)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7423907.stm (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7423907.stm)

[ferryenthusiast]

Yes it is a sad day for the North East.  I was talking with the Captain (Queen of Scandinavia) and Bridge Crew on the day the press release went out.  Suprisingly (or not) they were not aware of the release at least two hours after it had been made.

The Queen is an excellent ship, but totally unsuited to the route to Norway due to her size, weight and fuel consumption.  The route has been carrying good numbers (75% to 80%) full passenger wise and similar freight decks.  However passengers just do not want to pay the prices that would keep the route in service.  The Queen costs £100,000 a week in fuel alone and that is before the crew, port charges, environmental taxes etc. 

Personally I do think that we will sadly see more of the routes that are long and out on a limb so to speak being closed due to fuel prices and passenger prices etc.

[KDS]

Yer, it's a big concern. And it doesn't help that cheap airline companies such as easyJet and Jet2 are taking ferries passangers away because they are so cheap!

[Subwolf]

Yer, it's a big concern. And it doesn't help that cheap airline companies such as easyJet and Jet2 are taking ferries passangers away because they are so cheap!

Yes several airlines got low fare routes between those Norwegian cities and London, and Newcastle as well. Only £10 with Ryanair, who can keep up with that?

I don't think the Queen of Scandinavia was unsuitable, she's just a little bigger than the Jupiter, some 5.000kW difference. But DFDS is a loss-making company, they had to do something.

There has been no protests over here after the DFDS news, looks like this route is dead. According to the newspapers passengers will prefer the cheaper airlines, and the cargo sent by trucks on the QoS will be transferred to cargo ships. Sounds like we're not going to miss it.

[KDS]

I will miss her though!

[JHB]

If climatic taxes for aircraft increased maybe the rout would still be alive.
DFDS should just buy a gas ferry and continue the route. Maybe people would select the green alternative instead.

[KDS]

Unfortunately people now days prefer destroying the planet and paying cheap fares instead of paying a little more to go on a ferry!