Five trucks from Cork, mainly Bratton, unloaded the fish from the forward bases, this Wednesday afternoon, at Armoric (29) in Roskoff. One of Brittany Ferris’ new lines for cargo. After Cherberg, in early January, Armoric rearranged for a three-week rotation between Brittany (Roscoef and Saint-Malo) and Ireland (Cork and Rossler), doubling passenger rotation in the spring.

One month after the start of Brexit, these lines, for the shipping company, are a way to meet the expectations of carriers and shippers, who are forced to avoid passing through Great Britain, where health checks significantly increase shipping time. Jean-Marc Rowe, President of Britain Ferries, has the opportunity to impress the Breton business world: “Service must be win-win. At this critical juncture, we hope that the spirit of solidarity will improve. “

Is it too late to resume passenger traffic?

20% of turnover in 2019 will not replace the shortfall associated with the loss of passenger activity (2.4 million passengers), which is a consequence of the crisis. Ferries have higher operating costs than pure cargo ships. The resumption of passenger traffic, scheduled for March 22, is likely to be further delayed due to health conditions and the latest announcement by the British Secretary of State for Transport. He spoke Wednesday about tough shipping measures in 2021. “We are considering whether to keep this date,” declares Jean-Marc Ru, referring to very poor reservations.

The opening of the capital is not excluded

In this case, the company assures its president that “the company can meet its costs.” In addition to long-term and short-term employment, Brittany Ferries did not use all of the $ 117 million loan guaranteed by the state, to which it added $ 5 million from BPI and $ 15 million in repayment advances paid by the Brittany region. At 65 M of Brittany (30 M €) and Normandy (35 M) allowed. The company expects to resume reservations as soon as possible to recover cash flow.

However, the public partners of Brittany Ferris believe that the medium needs to go through an opening of capital that allows the donation of new money. As for Jean-Marc Rouge, “The rise of a public actor’s capital is not entirely ruled out. But it will not bring anything to its competitiveness, ”the company’s central question, which carries a heavy burden related to the work of the French sailors. By 2021, the order to refund the charges should be published soon. For the rest, Jean-Marc Rune is waiting for responses from Fontaine du Maritime, and their actions are expected in the spring.

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