Eurotunnel will sell its ships Danish DFDS Group – The World

The last hope of SeaFrance flies. Eurotunnel announced Sunday, June 7 choice of the Danish group DFDS offers for the sale of two of its three ships operated by the company Myferrylink on routes between France and England.

“The group, regretting that SeaFrance SCOP did not have the necessary support to make a takeover offer, ads engaging accept the tender submitted by DFDS for leasing of ships Berlioz and Rodin” , has the group said in a statement.

Eurotunnel decided in late May not to renew his contract with the operator SeaFrance SCOP Myferrylink company, and runs until 2 July. This decision relaunched the uncertainty around the future of the 600 employees of SeaFrance. A hearing is scheduled for Thursday, June 11 to place the company in receivership

Read: SeaFrance about to be placed in receivership

Choosing DFDS “and favors maintaining activity in Calais” and “gives hope the best possible solution in terms of jobs saved uninterrupted service early July” ensures Eurotunnel. The group, which operates the Channel Tunnel, is confident in the authorization must now give the British competition authority and market (CMA) in this operation “which will result in two maritime operators equally important “. Besides DFDS, the British P & O provides connections between Calais and Dover.

precise wish Eurotunnel also “continue an operation lessor” , his third ship, the Nord-Pas-de-Calais and upon request to the competition authorities.

In 2012, Eurotunnel had bought the ships of the former SeaFrance for rent in ancient marine company together in which chartered SeaFrance SCOP Ships in Eurotunnel Group, through Myferrylink. But a long legal saga has weighed on activity, the British authorities believed that this posed competition problems. Mid-May, the British appellate court agreed with the French shipping company, suspending the prohibition of serving Dover from Calais.

This victory has not yet Myferrylink “Modified gives “ for the Eurotunnel group because CMA plans to ask an appeal with the Supreme Court. Some trade unionists and experts believe the dossier, themselves, that the problems of governance within the SCOP could weigh in the decision of the Franco-British group to break with the shipping company.