Fay Posted May 14, 2009 Share Posted May 14, 2009 Hello gentlemenI am hoping that you will let me pick your brains. As Will may remember, I am a travel guides editor. I'm about to sign off on a France guide that includes a 'how to get there' section, and am trying my hardest to give the most current info on the fluctuating ferry situation. I've got it all up to date as far as the demise of Speedferries and the new LD routes go, but Seafrance is still giving me headaches.I've currently put:"At time of writing, the future of SeaFrance is uncertain. Please check prior to travel."Would you say this is the safest and most accurate summary of the situation?Many thanks for any help you can give!Fay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Posted May 14, 2009 Share Posted May 14, 2009 Sounds about right to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fay Posted May 14, 2009 Author Share Posted May 14, 2009 Thanks Will!Inevitably, as soon as the book goes to press, things will change again, but at least it covers the SeaFrance base...BestFay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjamin Posted May 14, 2009 Share Posted May 14, 2009 [quote user="Fay"]"At time of writing, the future of SeaFrance is uncertain. Please check prior to travel." [/quote]If Will says it's accurate then that's fine but in my opinion a little unfair to SeaFrance.Unless people know the ownership structure of SeaFrance they may well surmise another Speedferries situation and decide not to book just in case. Only my opinion of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Posted May 14, 2009 Share Posted May 14, 2009 I don't really think there is a lot more that can be said. You could substitute "...Sea France is in the process of restructuring..." but it amounts to much the same thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FerryGuru Posted May 14, 2009 Share Posted May 14, 2009 The latest I have heard reference Seafrance."STRUGGLING Dover Strait ferry operator SeaFrance is set to modify its plan for stemming loss-making at the company, raising expectations that it will substantially reduce its original target of 650 job cuts.The company will announce its plans at a works committee meeting on May 28 but has already indicated that it plans to keep four vessels in service instead of three, as announced in its original recovery plan.It has given no indication of the number of job cuts it will be making but has promised that there will be no straight dismissals among its 1,600-strong workforce.The majority CFDT union at the company said: "The plan which provided for 650 redundancies has been abandoned."The union estimated recently that the number of job losses could be limited to 150 if the company kept in service four vessels out of five and retained the fifth vessel in reserve for peak periods and replacement of the other vessels when they were out of service.The company has not gone as far as the union, however. It plans to keep three car ferries - the Rodin, Berlioz and Molière - in service and to put the freighter Nord-Pas de Calais in service on a "lightened" schedule.In the meantime, the company's financial situation has not eased. Management said that the company had lost more than ?3m ($4.1m) in April and ?13.5m since the start of the year.SeaFrance is not counting on a takeover to extricate itself from its difficulties, moreover. Deputy general manager Vincent Launay told a French newspaper that the offer presented by Brittany Ferries was being dealt with on a long-term basis by SeaFrance's owner, French national rail operator SNCF."It is a long-term project, independent of the recovery plan which is very urgent," he said." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjamin Posted May 14, 2009 Share Posted May 14, 2009 [quote user="FerryGuru"]SeaFrance is not counting on a takeover to extricate itself from its difficulties, moreover. Deputy general manager Vincent Launay told a French newspaper that the offer presented by Brittany Ferries was being dealt with on a long-term basis by SeaFrance's owner, French national rail operator SNCF.[/quote]This was the point I was trying to make although too subtley. It's very unlikely that SNCF will walk away from ticker holders in the same way that people lost money with Speedferries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fay Posted May 14, 2009 Author Share Posted May 14, 2009 Thank you all very much for your help. It's so frustrating signing off a book that won't be on the shelves for another few months... anything can (and will) happen. Can only try to deal with the foreseeable.I remember a Venice guide that went to press the day before the Fenice Opera House burned down...ThanksFay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now