Time to resurrect the Zeebrugge ferry. ? (1 Viewer)

PhilG

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With the French doing their utmost to be total dicks , just for a change, i wonder at what point DFDS will sack up and start running boats back into Belgium, so we can get over the channel without being held at gunpoint by French incompetence and strikes.

Im sure there is a demand , and there are enough boats around to make it happen.
 

Snowbird

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As long as they dont resurrect the old Sally Viking Line I dont mind.

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Snowbird

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i liked the sally line . used to use the ramsgate -dunkerque crossing regularly . definately the best for food .
their buffett was brilliant.

But never eat the shellfish, or go when the weather may be rough :).
 

snowdrops

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There's enough said when security checks are not good enough, I don't blame them for being vigilant in the current climate. I was due on the Herald of Free Enterprise, me and the hubby missed it when we lived in Belgium, we'd run out of funds to get home for a funeral. Thank goodness. Even the port name still sends a shiver down my spine :(
 
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Even the port name still sends a shiver down my spine :([/QUOTE]

Not being a cunning linguist, why is it pronounced "zeebrugger" and not "zeebroosh" like the capital is pronounced, isn't it the "port of Brugge" ?
 

DBK

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Even the port name still sends a shiver down my spine :(

Not being a cunning linguist, why is it pronounced "zeebrugger" and not "zeebroosh" like the capital is pronounced, isn't it the "port of Brugge" ?[/QUOTE]
I think because Brugge is pronounced the French way and Zeebrugge the Dutch way. Why, I am not sure but probably down to the demographics where each place is.

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EX51SSS

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I thought Bruge only had one 'g', but that was only based on how we pronounce it, will go look at a map now :)
It can be but i think Bruges is the anglicised version and Brugges is the Belgian version and I believe being the capital of West Flinders.
 

sedge

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But the 'Herald' disaster wasn't anything to do with terrorism or national border security - it was ship design, human error/neglect and a poor company safety ethos that caused it.

Pete's been wondering if they've re-opened the 'Douane' on the A16 as you enter Belgium from France?

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EX51SSS

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But the 'Herald' disaster wasn't anything to do with terrorism or national border security - it was ship design, human error/neglect and a poor company safety ethos that caused it.

Pete's been wondering if they've re-opened the 'Douane' on the A16 as you enter Belgium from France?
I don't know whether they've re-opened them but it's very noticeable that they haven't been demolished after 40 years. Interesting?
 
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PhilG

PhilG

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Its typical of 'increased security'.... have less staff on than you need, create queues, and then use the 'keeping you safe ' excuse for your incompetence.

Same thing happens at Stansted every Sept 11th. Half the security gates are unmanned , place is queueing out the door, week before and week after , all open , no queues .
 

EX51SSS

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Its typical of 'increased security'.... have less staff on than you need, create queues, and then use the 'keeping you safe ' excuse for your incompetence.

Same thing happens at Stansted every Sept 11th. Half the security gates are unmanned , place is queueing out the door, week before and week after , all open , no queues .
Why September 11th?

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vwalan

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on one of the fifth wheel forums they are saying there has been 5 mile tail backs getting in to france from spain up on the northern borders .
might be that other borders will start to be manned .
 
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They have demolished the Customs building entering France from Spain on the motorway on the Med...BUSBY.

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Can't see ferries from felixstowe, it's a container port, no facilities for passengers and no interest in doing any. Containers is where the money is for the foreseeable future as far as Hutchinson Whampoa is concerned. Would be great if they did as we live Ipswich.
Harwich is possible as I don't think it's very busy.

When Townsend ran from felixstowe they also ran a camping hire department, so you could roll up at the port and hire everything for a camping holiday abroad. When they shut it down they sold the gear off cheap, i bought plates, cups and cutlery, 6 off each all plastic, we are still using the plates and cutlery the cups didn't last as well, that was 30 years ago, pretty good I reckon.
 

vwalan

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i,m only saying what someone said .
i thought many of them have gone but maybe they are operating emergency ones .
mind not knocking you hope you dont think i was.
 

Lenny HB

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Reminds me of how late you could be for a ferry, it was at Zeebrugge where I got delayed by customs getting a Carnet stamped. The guy outside the customs house told me I was too late to board, I drove around him down towards the loading ramp guys on board waved me on the ship was moving before I stopped. Thinking about it now scary, they never used to put the rear ramps up or close the bow until well out of the harbour was normal practice until the Herald of Free Enterprise went down.

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big map

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My Dad had two lorries on the herald of free enterprise when it went down. I took the phone call from one of the drivers to let us know what had happend. Thank goodness practice has changed.
 

Techno

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I think you savanners should sort out yer own crossing and leave our Zeebrugge alone!
:reel:

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sedge

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We've done that at Dover years ago when actually our booking was for the next boat, but the check in booth would say - if you get a move on, you should get on the earlier boat, mate! We've had this at either Portsmouth or Southampton too. We've been waved on and waved on then someone's halted us when the front bumper was already overhanging the rubber bit on the edge of the ramp - while they fitted the folk in front of us in, like a jigsaw. When we started going with Speedferries - it was rather like deja vu! LOL

Never did Zeebrugge, but TT did that with the ramps on all their RoRos ISTR. You used to say fancy them doing that! - but what do I know about ferries, it must be safe, mustn't it?

:eek:
 

Snowbird

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Had shipped on the Herald many times but my guardian angel must have been looking after me on that night as I wasn't on board. I was on the Darnia in 1980 when she almost turned turtle. Strangely enough I was often sea sick before the Darnia incident, but never afterwards.
 

EX51SSS

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With the French doing their utmost to be total dicks , just for a change, i wonder at what point DFDS will sack up and start running boats back into Belgium, so we can get over the channel without being held at gunpoint by French incompetence and strikes.

Im sure there is a demand , and there are enough boats around to make it happen.
It's probably easier to do Immingham to Zeebrugge. However only HGV as far as I know. Only 12 cabins. 6 smoking and 6 non smoking as that is the only place you can smoke if you need to. However, they did include a meal and 2 bottles of lager too.

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big map

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Had shipped on the Herald many times but my guardian angel must have been looking after me on that night as I wasn't on board. I was on the Darnia in 1980 when she almost turned turtle. Strangely enough I was often sea sick before the Darnia incident, but never afterwards.
There were another two trucks local to us on board (rycrofts) as well that were carrying haz. Scary it could have been a lot worse.
 
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They have demolished the Customs building entering France from Spain on the motorway on the Med...BUSBY.

Last year when I crossed from Spain to France the French Police/Customs were using the first toll booths in France to stop traffic
 

injebreck99

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Felixstowe-Zeebrugge, bring it on!
Used that route many many times in the past, motorcycle over on midnght ferry with cabin,, arrive Zeb around 8am local time,all refreshed and all day then to get to where you fancy.
It would be great to see this service resumed.

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