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DfT signs ferry deal to keep vital freight rolling – updated

[ May 18, 2020   //   ]

The government has signed agreements with six ferry operators – Brittany Ferries, DFDS, Eurotunnel, P&O Ferries, Seatruck and Stena – to provide up to £35 million to help ensure there is enough freight capacity to ensure that supplies of critical goods such as food and medical supplies can move freely.

It says the move will protect 16 of the most important routes covering the Channel, the Short Strait, the North Sea and routes between Great Britain and Northern Ireland which were previously at risk of closure due to a drop in demand as a result of the Covid-19. They will now be designated as Public Service Obligation routes for up to nine weeks.

The routes concerned are: Portsmouth-Santander/Cherbourg, Poole-Bilbao, Dover-Calais/Dunkerque, Folkestone-Coquelles, Cairnryan-Larne/Belfast, Tilbury-Zeebrugge, Teesport-Rotterdam, Hull-Rotterdam/Zeebrugge, Heysham-Warrenpoint, Killingholme-Rotterdam and Harwich-Rotterdam/Hoek van Holland.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “By taking this action, we have helped protect the movement of goods and services in and out of the UK, safeguarding the flow of supplies across the Union. The Department for Transport is working closely with the transport sector and devolved administrations to monitor the situation on all freight routes (not just those in the scheme) in order to ensure critical goods, such as food and medical supplies, can move freely.”

The agreements follow the UK, French and Irish governments’ pledge to work together on temporary measures to ensure Covid-19 does not threaten freight routes between the countries.

British International Freight Association (BIFA) director general Robert Keen welcomed the move, saying: “The government’s decision to provide financial support to safeguard 16 of the most important routes covering the Channel, the Short Strait, the North Sea and routes between Great Britain and Northern Ireland provides some reassurance for our members managing the movement of freight on those routes.”

He added that the announcement appeared to be related to the promised broader package of support measures for routes between the UK and mainland Europe, first unveiled in late April: “It would appear that initial funding pledge has increased, much of which will be committed to support critical routes between Britain and the European mainland.”

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