News

Brittany Ferries has put in a bid to buy rival cross-Channel operator SeaFrance - but LD Lines has withdrawn its offer to buy the SNCF-owned company.

SeaFrance has had a troubled start to 2009,  reporting cross-Channel freight down 23% in January compared with last year, the equivalent of 800,000 trucks a year if the figure were annualised. It has already announced 650 job losses to cut costs.

Brittany Ferries wants to buy SeaFrance from SNCF, the French national railway company, and continue operating its Dover-Calais services under the Brittany Ferries name.

A brief statement from SNCF says it is considering the Brittany Ferries offer and "will decide the next steps for the company in due course".

LD Lines says the attitude of the trade unions was partly to blame for its withdrawal of its offer to merge with SeaFrance. A statement issued by LD says: "The opposition of the unions, who expressed fierce objections without even knowing or asking to know the content of LD Lines offer, has contributed to give the project an unrealistic impression."