Brittany Ferries Strike Affects Travel, Business In Three Countries

by Sean McLachlan on


A strike by the employees of Brittany Ferries is disrupting the movement of travelers and goods between England, France and Spain.

The BBC reports the French union that staffs the ferry service is striking in protest of cuts by the company, which is deeply in the red. Brittany Ferries operates several lines from England to various ports in northern France and Spain. In addition to travelers using the service to bring their cars across the water, about 3,000 commercial trucks use the service.

In a press release, the company stated that because of repeated wildcat strikes, they’ve made the decision to suspend almost all service: “The only route which will be unaffected is the Poole-Cherbourg passenger service which is operated on our behalf by Condor Ferries … Because of this indefinite stoppage we are recommending customers to travel to Dover where we currently have special arrangements in place with P&O Ferries and MyFerryLink to accept Brittany Ferries tickets [see website for details]. Unused Brittany Ferries crossings will be refunded.”

One of Brittany Ferries’ destinations is Santander in Spain, where I live part time. Port fees, customers using local businesses, and the shipment of goods all bring an injection of much-needed money into an economy in recession. Local paper El Diario Montañes reports that the ship Cap Finistère has been stuck here since September 20, with 500 passengers and 100 vehicles. Most have made their way to other ferries in France.

[Photo of the Cap Finistère courtesy George Hutchinson]

India restarts ferry to Sri Lanka after 30 years of civil war

by Sean McLachlan on

Sri Lanka is still recovering after a long and brutal civil war that started in 1983 and only ended two years ago. The fight between Tamil separatists and the government left 100,000 people dead, many of them civilians, and there were accusations of war crimes on both sides. The government won and the island nation is now beginning to rebuild.

A sign of that rebuilding is the relaunching of passenger ferry service with India, which had been suspended for 30 years due to security concerns. The first boat left from Tuticorin in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu last night and arrived in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo this morning. The boat is called the Scotia Prince, can carry 1,000 passengers, and is fitted with a restaurant and casino. The Scotia Prince last hit the news when it rescued thousands of Indians and Sri Lankans from the war in Libya.

Flemingo International, the company running the India-Sri Lanka route, says their service will do two round-trip journeys a week and provides a cheaper alternative to flying. Travel to Sri Lanka has been increasing since the end of the civil war.

A second ferry will start soon, operated by the Ceylon Shipping Corporation.

[Image of Scotia Prince courtesy Rama]

Strike in Greece leaves tourists stranded

by Sean McLachlan on

A strike by dock workers in Greece’s main port of Piraeus has kept thousands of visitors from boarding ferries to the Greek islands.

Greece is trying to impose economic austerity measures that were dictated by the IMF and EU in exchange for a 110 billion euro ($135 billion) bailout. Trade unions object to cuts in the minimum wage and a reduction of benefits and pensions.

Railway workers and employees of the state television are also striking, adding to the chaos.

This strike, only the latest of several, comes right after a declaration by the Greek government that it will compensate any tourist stranded by industrial action. The government is already strapped for cash but will now have to put its money where its mouth is and pay for a whole bunch of hotel rooms. Good news for Piraeus hoteliers, bad news for everyone else.

Are you in Greece? Tell us your experiences in the comment section.


Photo of Piraeus courtesy user Templar52 via Wikimedia Commons.

Photo of the Day (12.12.2009)

by Brenda Yun on


Riding a ferry anywhere in the world is simply one of the most pleasant experiences in the world, and this photo pretty much sums up why. This particular ferry is the 4:20 to Bremerton on the Puget Sound. The water is as still as glass, and the sky a glowing orange. There’s such peace, such tranquility, in this shot. Walt Whitman’s “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry” is one of my favorite poems, and in it he writes, “Others will enter the gates of the ferry, and cross from shore to shore.” The ferry is a perfect metaphor for the common experience of life itself. How beautiful that metaphor — and life — is.

Today’s photo comes to us from Andy Bokanev, a Seattle native with an amazing array of travel photography. If you have some great travel shots you’d like to share, be sure to upload them to the Gadling pool on Flickr. We might just pick one as our Photo of the Day!