SeaFrance
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SeaFrance is a French ferry company that runs ships between Calais, France and Dover, UK.
SeaFrance is the trading name of SNAT (Société Nouvelle d'Armement Transmanche) which is owned by SNCF.
The company employs a total of 1,700 staff, including 1,200 seagoing personnel and is the largest employer in the town of Calais.
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[edit] History
SeaFrance began operations between Dover and Calais in 1996 after the termination of a pooling agreement with Sealink (by then known as Stena Sealink Line) in 1995. The service initially began with the former Sealink vessels Fiesta and Côte d'Azur which became SeaFrance Cezanne and SeaFrance Renoir respectively after extensive refurbishments to create a distinctive French atmosphere on board. Former Sealink train ferry Nord Pas-de-Calais became the SeaFrance Nord Pas-de-Calais and operated as a freight only ferry though SeaFrance did market the ship to passengers as a quiet ship. The three vessels were later joined by the former Stena Londoner which became the SeaFrance Monet. SeaFrance quickly became the 2nd busiest operator on the Dover - Calais route after P&O European Ferries and ahead of their former partners now known as Stena Line. In 1997 the SeaFrance Manet entered service after a 5 year charter to Stena Line for the Newhaven-Dieppe service, the ship essentially replaced the Monet which was later sold after being damaged in Calais. SeaFrance took delivery of the SeaFrance Rodin in 2001, their first new ship and the fastest Dover-Calais ferry. She was joined in 2005 by the SeaFrance Berlioz, a sister ship built at a different yard.
[edit] Current fleet
The current fleet is as follows.
[edit] Passenger/freight ferries
- SeaFrance Renoir (built 1981)
- SeaFrance Cezanne (built 1980, converted 1990)
- SeaFrance Rodin (built 2001)
- SeaFrance Berlioz (built 2005)
[edit] Freight ferries
- SeaFrance Manet (built 1984)
SeaFrance Manet was built as a passenger ferry but currently operates freight only.
- SeaFrance Nord Pas-de-Calais (built 1987)
[edit] Current operations
SeaFrance currently uses its 6 ships to operate 23 round trips a day. In comparison the P&O Ferries Dover fleet, also of 6 ships, operates 30 round trips a day. With the introduction of the SeaFrance Berlioz it was planned to withdraw one of the older vessels, most likely the SeaFrance Renoir or Manet, to make the fleet more efficient but union pressure meant that this did not happen. Currently SeaFrance Renoir only operates 2 round trips and then is laid up for the rest of the day with the SeaFrance Cezanne taking over her roster in the afternoon for 3 round trips. SeaFrance has been criticised in journals such as European Ferry Scene (specifically in the summer 2006 issue) and on-line newsgroups for the differences between the older fleet (Cezanne, Renoir and Manet) and the new vessels (Rodin and Berlioz) including the standards of upkeep, food and crew.
In 2005 SeaFrance made a €9.27million loss.
SeaFrance is one of 5 companies invited to tender for the operation of Transmanche Ferries service between Dieppe and Newhaven. SNCF and later SNAT operated the route until 1992 when they withdrew after poor performance due to almost constant strike action.
[edit] External links
- SeaFrance (official site)
