Porstmouth Le Havre

[Stocky]

I have heard that an Essex based company KMW Seaways could be introducing a new passenger service between Portsmouth and Le Havre.
Could be in service by end of summer.up and running by the late summer with two sailings a day.

No Doubt Bill the Conq could confirm this.

[Will]

No, haven't heard anything about that. Two sailings a day on that route would almost certainly involve either two conventional ferries (though they could manage three, like P&O did), or one high speed ship. The nature of the route is less than ideal for fast ferries, as P&O found with its Cherbourg service.

KMW Seaways was set up by British group Aquitaine to bid, last year, for the former P&O Portsmouth/Le Havre route. It was unsuccessful. Aquitaine has several retail and media interests, including a ferry and coach ticketing agency called KMW Travel and Transport. KMW Seaways seems to be currently inactive. So I think somebody might have been looking back to last summer rather than forward to the next. There have been more recent rumours concerning Aquitaine starting a Portsmouth-Cherbourg service, but these are very much unconfirmed.

With LD Lines doing moderately well - freight traffic is going well, passengers less so - on its Portsmouth/Le Havre I can't really see that there is a place for a second company running passenger services.

LD Lines has some very good fares at present, and not only for longer stays. Those who complain about Brittany Ferries really should try LD Lines, the company deserves their support. LD does seem to be taking active steps to increase passenger numbers, with much lower fares than it offered at the outset, plus proposals for something like P&O's season ticket scheme where you buy a number of crossings in advance.

[just john]

Hi Will

still on the subject, (just[;)]), can you throw any light on reasons for differing vehicle costs?, we are using LD this weekend, (because Speedferries are inoperative), to take a van with personal possessions across on a 5 day trip, which for a car was around £50 (pretty good), but for a camper around £90, and when listing a van the cost was a whopping £200! (all vehicles entered as same length dimensions, van & camper same height). The trip doesn't include a cabin (none was available). we prefer the method employed by Speedferries, where you only pay for the space, irrespective of the vehicle type. [au] [:)]

Get ready for the sunscreen [H]

[PeterG]

Excellent points Will.

The only problem I have with LD is the docking time in Portsmouth. We have another 5hr drive in the UK when we disembark. It would be better if they had another ship and did night crossings both ways.

[Will]

John & Sue

I can only think that as LD Lines is basically a freight carrier you get charged freight rates for a van. I recall that several years back BF did much the same for our Transit, but as it was privately registered (and had a window in the side sliding door) they were quite happy to call it a camper van until they changed the fare structure. I think it might be worth having a word with LD Lines because even if they can't help this time, they do seem very keen to listen to what customers want so might revise their fares to include private vans.

PeterG

I quite agree with you about the LD Lines timetable, that's one of the reasons why I will personally continue to use BF. I think LD Lines will quite likely get a second ship, even more likely if more people use the service. That would permit three crossings per day, like P&O used to do. The frequent schedule on BF's Portsmouth/Caen route is one reason why it is popular with freight carriers, as hanging around in port waiting for a ferry is costly, unproductive time for truckers.

[Stocky]

Will, the following is from www.Portsmouth.Co.UK in their business section, the date is this month

"New operator may re-open Le Havre ferry

A FERRY company is looking at introducing a new passenger service between Portsmouth and Le Havre.

Essex-based KMW Seaways has confirmed that it was looking at the route alongside a freight-only service between Portsmouth and Cherbourg.
Uncertainty still surrounds which ferries might be involved or whether the money is in place but port bosses are cautiously optimistic for the future.
The Le Havre run could be up and running by the late summer with two sailings a day using two chartered vessels.
The firm had been looking at using the Regina Baltica, a ferry which holds 1,500 passengers, for the Le Havre route in a deal which would have cost £12m, but is now believed to be looking elsewhere.
KMW Seaways' 25-year-old boss Kieran Woodbury said the routes were viable, and Lloyds List quotes the routes as worth more than £50m a year.

09 March 2006"

[Will]

That's interesting, we'll have to see if anything happens. Looking at my ship database, the vessel mentioned appears to be available for charter from Spring 2006, so it has a ring of truth.

I wonder why the Aquitaine group is so keen to get into ferry operation? Its core businesses are educational TV programmes, making TV programmes called Bisbrooke and Paramedic, neither of which I have heard of, selling miscellaneous products at fairs and on e-bay, a theatrical agency specialising in young performers, a yet-to-be-launched digital TV channel called Trafalgar, a stage show about train robber Buster Edwards, a children's stage school, and, as already mentioned, a ferry and coach ticketing agency. About the only thing this disparate grouping shares is the chairman of all the various companies - the aforementioned precocious Kieran Woodbury. 

Call me an old cynic if you like, but somehow, I don't have a very good feeling about this particular venture.

[just john]

Having just returned from the LD trip, I only wish I had been charged freight rates instead of the smoke and mirrors high prices for booking on the web site.
When we arrived, booked in as a van, having paid £200 for our booking without a cabin, on the web site, I was informed that I was not freight and had been charged a private rate. I was informed that all freight was booked by telephone through their office, had I done so I would have been charged £185, and this would have INCLUDED cabin accommodation for two and dinner for two in the price! I was also informed that since I had booked on the web site that the booking was not changeable but I could discuss with the Purser on board.
As soon as I got on board I did take it up with the Purser, who politely said that he would see what he could do, however he did nothing, [N] we did not get a cabin or free meal, the club class seats we paid for were so uncomfortable I slept on the floor and later discovered people could sleep more comfortably on couches on the bar. .[8o|]
To cap it off there was a fight in Club class where drunks were arguing over seats (no e-tickets had numbered seat positions) and it ended up in fistacuffs while the staff avoided the altercation, even after one the people involved complained to them.
I was not impressed and I think it will be a long time before I travel with LD again.
It seems to be a bit of a game for the operators to disguise their rates to make it more difficult for people to pick the most economic rate or time to travel, in the expectation that people will fall into paying more than they need rather than encouraging people to get a good deal and repeat bookings. [H] More power to Speedferries and their ilk.

[napoleon]

Not good news about LD so far. I have been testing the prices against any BF tickets that I have booked. Although the basic price is lower there appears to be a problem with cabin accomodation. No matter when I try, all the Portsmouth to Le Havre trips have no cabins available. After reading the last post I am not tempted to try "Club Seats". Back to Caen again!

                                                                         Alistair

[Will]

The Norman Spirit was originally built for the Dover short sea routes, starting out as Prins Filip, and later known, ironically, as Aquitaine, so has few cabins. LD Lines is trying to increase the facilities, but obviously without taking the ship out of service this is difficult.