Latest news with #ChristopheMathieu
BBC News
22-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Newhaven - Dieppe ferry route grants spark £125m lawsuit
A ferry company says it has launched legal action to sue a shipping company for £125m of losses sustained because of the "vast subsidies" given to its competitor. Brittany Ferries says grants DFDS receives to run its ferry route between Newhaven in East Sussex and Dieppe in France have affected its own routes between Portsmouth and France, costing its business £125m since 2013. Christophe Mathieu, the company's CEO, said: "Hauliers and passengers are turning to low-cost Newhaven because of this significant market distortion." A DFDS spokesperson said: "In light of the ongoing legal proceedings DFDS will revert before the court and will not for now comment in public." In an action lodged with the Brest Commercial Court, Brittany Ferries says it is seeking to recover "significant losses that come from this unfair competition" because of the grants from Syndicat Mixte Transmanche in Mathieu said: "The losses suffered as a consequence of vast subsidies given to DFDS to prop-up the loss-making Newhaven-Dieppe route hurt Brittany Ferries and the regions in which we operate."Portsmouth is our UK-hub and we want the city and the surrounding region to benefit fully from our long-standing partnership." He added: "As well as boosting their bottom line, subsidies ease the significant cost of decarbonisation - costs that must be borne fully by every other ferry company operating on the Channel." The next hearing is on 6 June in Brest in France, Brittany Ferries well as the civil action, Brittany Ferries has also lodged a complaint with the EU's Directorate-General for Competition.
BBC News
28-03-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Brittany Ferries' boss has mixed feelings on Guernsey launch
Brittany Ferries' boss says he is excited for the launch of the firm's new Guernsey service on Friday but also disappointed over staff 60 years the Channel Islands had a joint ferry operator for both Guernsey and Jersey - however, while Guernsey will continue to work with Brittany Ferries, Jersey has chosen DFDS after a tender Ferries, Condor's parent company, was chosen in October to run Guernsey's service for the next 15 executive Christophe Mathieu said: "We've had a lot of encouraging bookings for Guernsey. However, there is still extreme disappointment for the people that have consequently had to leave Condor and it is very sad the way it ended up." Condor's previous contracts with both islands ended on Ferries is in the process of selling two of the vessels that were part of the Channel Islands' fleet. Mr Mathieu said: "The crew of those two vessels are leaving the company and of course there are people in Jersey that are either transferring to our competitor or moving on. "There are also people mainly in the Poole headquarter [losing jobs], because a lot of support functions are impacted. There are quite a few people losing their jobs."Brittany Ferries says it is committed to investing in the fleet that serves Guernsey. It is likely it will replace the roll-on/roll-off ferry, Islander, and then its high-speed catamaran, Voyager. Mr Mathieu said: "We are a regional operator and I think Guernsey will be very much in the heart of our network. "Let's focus on the future and making it a successful partnership with Guernsey as we really look forward to it."
