Transmanche Ferries
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| Company type | Limited |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2001 |
| Fate | Dissolved into LD Lines |
| Headquarters | Dieppe, France |
Area served | English Channel |
Key people | Pierre Gehanne, Chairman |
| Services | Passenger transportation Freight transportation |
| Parent | Louis Dreyfus Group |
| Website | www.transmancheferries.co.uk |
Transmanche Ferries is a ferry company that operates the Newhaven - Dieppe route across the English Channel.
History
Transmanche Ferries was formed after the previous operator of this route, P&O Stena Line, decided to concentrate on that company's primary route of Dover - Calais. The last P&O Stena vessel on the route, the Stena Cambria, undertook her last sailing on 31 January 1998. No vessel replaced the Stena Cambria service until a high speed passenger service was instituted by Hoverspeed using SuperSeaCat Two in April 1999, however this service ended in 2004.
Despite the Hoverspeed passenger service, a conventional passenger-vehicle freight service was desired for the Dieppe - Newhaven route. Compiled of public bodies, including the General Council of Seine-Maritime, the towns of Dieppe and Fécamp as well as three Chambers of Commerce, Transmanche Ferries re-opened the route early in 2001 with the chartered Sardinia Vera.
Fleet
When Transmanche started, they chartered the 1975 built Sardinia Vera from Corsica Ferries. With a capacity of just under 2,000 passengers and 43 lorries she provided an adequate starting point for the company. At 120m long and with a draught of 5.5m she fits into both ports perfectly. The company simply re-used the current livery of Corsica ferries and since then it has stuck, with their new ferries also painted in the same colour scheme, with the trademark large green ‘T’ in an identically coloured circle.
The decision was then taken in 2002 to purchase another ship to boost the number of crossings that Transmanche were able to offer. The Saga Star was purchased, re-painted and named as Dieppe. At 147m long, she was a little too big for the Port of Newhaven and therefore had to reverse out before turning around the pier head, instead of swinging inside the harbour, as Sardinia Vera did. Although with a slightly larger vehicle capacity, she does not have the facilities of Sardinia Vera, but is just as suited to the freight market. Soon however, the decision was made to order two new-builds specifically for the route. Constructed at H.J Barreras in Vigo, Spain, the Côte D’Albatre entered service in March 2006. At 142 metres long, and with a draught of 5.7m, she is the maximum-sized ferry that Newhaven can currently safely accommodate. With a modern, luxury interior she gave a well needed boost to the company’s profile, as well as attracting day trippers that were lost when Hoverspeed ended their SuperSeaCat service in 2004. Her sister vessel "Seven Sisters" followed that same year.
Sardinia Vera was returned to her owners, Corsica Ferries, following the introduction of Côte D’Albatre. The identical Seven Sisters joined this vessel in Autumn 2006, albeit with several modifications. At this time Dieppe was sold and is now sailing for Polferries as the Baltiva.
In the company leaflet, found on the "Seven Sisters", it was stated that the "Côte D’Albatre" is currently being used on the Portsmouth - Le Havre route, which LD Lines serves. The "Seven Sisters", therefore, is the only ferry Transmanche uses and it currently makes two crossings a day between Newhaven - Dieppe.
Transmanche have attempted to serve other routes in the past, between Newhaven and Le Havre and between Dieppe and Dover, but neither of these has proved successful.
See also
External links
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