Latest news with #ferryservice
CTV News
3 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Lowering Confederation Bridge toll at the top of P.E.I. Premier's list when meeting with Prime Minister
Prince Edward Island's Confederation Bridge is seen on May 31, 2022. (CTV Atlantic) Lowering the Confederation Bridge toll is at the top of Prince Edward Island Premier Rob Lantz's list when he meets with Prime Minister Mark Carney next week. Lantz will travel to Ontario for the First Ministers' Meeting and Council of the Federation from July 21 to 23. 'First and foremost, I will be speaking directly with Prime Minister Carney and his team about the immediate need to follow through on their promise to lower the tolls on the Confederation Bridge to $20 and reduce the Wood Islands Ferry tolls by half,' he said in a news release Friday. Carney said he would lower the tolls during his election campaign in April. Currently, the Confederation Bridge toll is $50.25. Lantz said he also intends to bring up recent issues with the new MV Northumberland and will ask that Transport Canada officials 'monitor the situation closely.' 'It is imperative that we have a consistent, two-vessel ferry service throughout the season to support our economy and maintain confidence in our transportation infrastructure,' said Lantz. The meetings bring together all of Canada's premiers from each of the 13 provinces and territories. 'It enables Premiers to work collaboratively, form closer ties, foster constructive relationships among governments, and show leadership on important issues that matter to Canadians,' reads a news release from the Council of the Federation. Lantz said he also hopes to work with his colleagues to continue to break down internal trade barriers, explore new trading partnerships and increase labour mobility throughout the country. 'With ongoing uncertainty in our trade relationship with the United States, it is more important than ever that we strengthen our domestic economic ties and work together to explore new markets for our products and services around the world,' said Lantz. For more P.E.I. news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
Arab News
5 days ago
- Business
- Arab News
Pakistan mulls routes as it eyes new ferry service between Gwadar and Gulf region
KARACHI: Pakistan has been mulling routes for a ferry service it plans to launch to connect its southwestern Gwadar port with the Gulf region, the country's maritime affairs ministry said on Friday. The statement came after a meeting presided over by Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Junaid Anwar Chaudhry to review matters relating to the proposed ferry service. Officials at the meeting reviewed technical and financial aspects of ferry operations, according to the ministry. Five privately-owned firms submitted their proposals, showing growing interest of the private sector. 'The ferry service will promote regional connectivity and trade,' Chaudhry was quoted as saying by his ministry. 'It is expected to ease movement of passengers and goods from Gulf countries.' Gwadar, situated along the Arabian Sea, lies at the heart of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), under which Beijing has funneled tens of billions of dollars into massive transport, energy and infrastructure projects in Pakistan. Pakistani officials say the geostrategic location of the southwestern Pakistani coastal town in the Balochistan province offers the shortest trade route to the Gulf and landlocked Central Asian states, highlighted its potential as a regional transshipment hub. During the meeting, Chaudhry telephoned Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti and discussed provincial cooperation with him, according to the maritime affairs ministry. Bugti assured his full cooperation for the project. 'The ferry service will highlight Gwadar on the international maritime map,' Chaudhry added. The development comes amid Pakistan's efforts to capitalize on its geostrategic location to boost transit trade as it slowly recovers from a macroeconomic crisis under a $7 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) program. The country also plans to cut container dwell time at its seaports by up to 70 percent to improve trade competitiveness and ease congestion, while it last month reduced port charges for exporters by 50 percent at the second largest Port Qasim.
BBC News
12-07-2025
- BBC News
Hamble Ferry: Tributes to Ray Sedgwick who has died aged 88
Tributes have been paid to a ferryman who steered passenger boats across a Hampshire river for more than 60 Sedgwick, who has died aged 88, had an "encyclopaedic knowledge" of the River Hamble, Hamble Parish Council distinctive pink ferry boats cross between Hamble and Warsash, carrying commuters, holiday-makers, cyclists and ramblers across a quarter-mile stretch of the River councillor Ian Underdown said Mr Sedgwick had "served the community exceedingly well over the years". The ferry service across the River Hamble is thought to have been running since at least Sedgwick completed his apprenticeship as a toolmaker at a local aircraft factory before becoming the full-time ferryman in 1958 when he was 21. It meant early morning starts to take workers to nearby factories and home again at the end of each was known for running the ferry in all weathers, with his only day off during the year being Christmas Mr Sedgwick retired in 2001, he continued to work on the ferry and helped out at weekends until the age of was credited with increasing the numbers of ramblers, cyclists, yachtsmen and other visitors. Passengers and residents shared their memories on the parish council's Facebook page. "He always waved back to my son when he was obsessed with the pink ferry as a toddler," recalled one user."Used to love getting on the ferry as a child and saying hello," posted Underdown described Mr Sedgwick as a "well-known and much valued Hamble character" "He helped many local youngsters with their boating activities some of whom became successful in the marine industry," he said."Ray had an encyclopaedic knowledge of the river, its characters and yachts." You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Telegraph
07-07-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
P&O axes crucial ferry route to continental Europe
P&O Ferries is to terminate a key ferry service linking the north of England with continental Europe in a fresh blow to the industrial economy of the North East. The shipping giant, which is controlled by the Dubai government, plans to scrap a truck ferry route between Teesport and Zeebrugge in Belgium at the end of the year after deciding that it is no longer viable. The route has been in operation for more than 50 years. P&O said the closure of the route was tied to its strategy of developing a more 'strategic, flexible and differentiated network' for the North Sea. A spokesman said there will be no job cuts as a result of the move. Teesport, which is located on the south bank of the Tees in Redcar and Cleveland, is owned by PD Ports, one of the UK's largest ports operators. Frans Calje, chief executive of PD, told staff on Thursday that P&O had exercised a break clause that would bring its 50-year relationship with Teesport to a close. He said that while the cancellation was 'clearly disappointing' for PD, no posts were at risk. 'Even if there were to be a loss of activity in the ferry zone, which I don't expect, we've got ample opportunities in the port to re-skill people and deploy them elsewhere,' he said. However Ben Houchen, the Teesside mayor, said P&O's decision to scrap the route was concerning. 'This is a deeply worrying time for PD Ports and the many people whose livelihoods depend on its success. The past couple of years have been turbulent, particularly as other ports in the region have been making real progress,' he said. P&O is one of Britain's largest ship operators but has faced controversy in the past after sacking 800 staff in 2022 and replacing them with low-paid agency workers. Last year its Dubai owner threatened to boycott a UK investment summit led by Sir Keir Starmer after then-transport secretary Louise Haigh dubbed P&O a 'rogue operator'. News of the ferry route closure is a blow to the North East and comes less than two weeks after Sabic, a Saudi chemical giant, revealed plans to permanently shut the Olefins 6 'cracker' facility on Teesside. Sabic's confirmation of the closure of its plant came just days after Labour unveiled its Industrial Strategy. The move puts about 300 local jobs at risk. Ensus, which runs a bioethanol plant in Redcar, also warned last month that it faced 'imminent' closure after the UK-US trade deal removed a 19pc tariff on US ethanol imports. Meanwhile, P&O's decision represents a potential significant setback to the planned sale of PD by its owner, Canadian fund manager Brookfield. Peel Ports dropped out of the bidding for PD Ports while several infrastructure specialists expected to take part failed to put forward proposals by an April 9 deadline, according to reports. PD employs around 1,400 people, including 1,200 at Teesport, which handles 25m tonnes of cargo a year, including oil, chemicals, shipments for the offshore wind industry and gypsum used to make plasterboard for the building trade. In April, PD Ports in April unveiled plans to devote 180 acres of land to developing the £200m Teesport Offshore Gateway, aimed at attracting manufacturing, assembly and supply-chain work tied to North Sea wind farms, though sources said investment was unlikely to be forthcoming until ownership of the company is resolved.
Times
05-07-2025
- Business
- Times
P&O Ferries scraps Teesside to Zeebrugge service after 30 years
P&O Ferries is to scrap a ferry service between northeast England and Zeebrugge that has been running for more than 30 years. The operator is understood to have exercised a break clause in its contract to run ferries between Teesside and the Belgian port. The decision was taken at the end of June and the last sailing on the route is due to take place in mid-August. P&O Ferries is understood to have been operating services between Teesport and Zeebrugge since the 1990s. The move follows P&O's sailings between Teesport and Rotterdam being axed in 2023. The change will mean that P&O, once one of the biggest ferry operators in the UK, will soon run just three routes from the UK: Dover-Calais, Hull-Rotterdam, and Cairnryan in Scotland to Larne in Northern Ireland. • P&O bosses shared £15m after sacking 800 crew P&O sparked a national outcry in 2022 by sacking nearly 800 seafarers and replacing them with low-paid agency staff. Owned by Dubai logistics firm DP World, bosses controversially pressed ahead with the cost-cutting move to balance the books and compete with rivals that had similarly opted to staff ships with agency seafarers. Peter Hebblethwaite, the chief executive, later admitted to a parliamentary committee that P&O had broken the law by opting for mass redundancies without consultation. 'I completely throw our hands up, my hands up, that we did choose not to consult,' he said. A spokesman for P&O said: 'The closure of the Zeebrugge-Teesport route facilitates our North Sea strategy to focus on and invest in a strategic, flexible and differentiated network. This will not affect any P&O Ferries employees. The deployment of the Norbay [ferry] is currently under review. • P&O claims it has saved 3,000 jobs and rescued the company 'We are excited about the arrival of the Lismore [another ferry] into our fleet later in the year, bringing greater capacity and efficiency for our customers. ' P&O's exit may come as a blow to the Teesport owner PD Ports, which is owned by the Canadian infrastructure giant Brookfield. PD Ports declined to comment. PD Ports was put back on the market last year after an aborted sale in 2021. Brookfield is said to have slapped a £2 billion price tag on the business as it seeks to sell a 50 per cent stake. Sources insisted that underlying demand for ferry services had not diminished and PD Ports was confident that another operator would step in to fill the void at Teesport. Rival Peel Ports, which had previously registered an interest in bidding for PD Ports, has reportedly bowed out of the process.
