Shipping company P&O Ferries, which had hoped to be able to deploy boats again over the Easter weekend on an important ferry journey between Calais in France and Dover in Britain, is now giving up that hope.
A spokesman for the company told the French news agency “AFP” that the ferry traffic is still suspended and “there is no indication” yet of a date for the resumption of traffic on this line.
On Wednesday, the British Coast Guard again detained a ship belonging to the shipping company for safety reasons. The shipping company apologizes to its customers for the canceled crossings. Affected customers will be able to travel at no additional cost on the relaunched Hull Rotterdam Route, or on competing boats from Brittany Ferries between Portsmouth and Caen. If not, they can also request a full refund and a free ticket for the next flight.
P&O Ferries suspended crossings on the Dover-Calais route after it announced on March 17 that the company would eliminate about 800 sailors to replace them with cheaper labor from Eastern Europe and Asia. This decision sparked outrage in Britain.
Since then, British authorities have subjected English-flagged P&O Ferries ships to a security check, which has already resulted in several ships being held at the berth.
The suspension of an important ferry line has led to long lines of trucks on the road to the port of Dover in recent days. The UK Department for Transport is expecting a busy Easter weekend on roads, trains and airports.
Unlimited free access to Showbytes? And that can!
Sign in or create an account and never miss a thing from the stars.
