Calais Closed Again (1 Viewer)

[Mousy]

We are enroute to Folkestone for a 17.50 Chunnel train. Will let you know later how we get on.
We are in the silver hymer with the 2 bored teenage sons hanging out the windows shouting "are we there yet?"

 

[Judge Mental]

We are enroute to Folkestone for a 17.50 Chunnel train. Will let you know later how we get on.
We are in the silver hymer with the 2 bored teenage sons hanging out the windows shouting "are we there yet?"

I refuse to travel with our two these days......we fly them over!

 

[jumar]

Just had an email from C&Cv club/ Careless.. They have informed us, as we booked our ferry with them, that, there is industrial action at Calais Port and that there are NO sailings today. Fantastic to see they are on the ball, only 5 hours after our ferry was due to leave and 25 hours since this action kicked off. But at least somebody cares about us stuck here alone, watching Andy do his job on the grass, fridge full of food and garage/Cave having adequate supplies of Red and White.
I suppose its posted here somewhere that the Tunnel is closed also.

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[DBK]

They were interviewing a French striker just now on the box. He was threatening they may extend their action to include other crossing points, including the Tunnel and Dunkirk.

The UK is sending them (Calais port) more fencing so they can protect the lines of trucks from the immigrants. There's was some airial footage of the immigrants' camps - there's a lot of them and no doubt numbers growing every day.

 

[Taran_Las]

Myferrylink just emailed to say they have cancelled my booking and it is up to me to find an alternative. Calais is gridlocked with trucks. Currently at Gravelines having booked a ferry for Friday from Dunkirk. Fingers crossed.

 

[DBK]

Update: Tunnel now closed apparently. Tyres lit on the track. How long it will stay shut unknown. There was a time they would have sent in the CRS but will the current socialist government do this?

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[Taran_Las]

We are enroute to Folkestone for a 17.50 Chunnel train. Will let you know later how we get on.
We are in the silver hymer with the 2 bored teenage sons hanging out the windows shouting "are we there yet?"

Good luck.....it's not looking too clever at the moment for ferries or tunnel.

Sorry.

 

[Judge Mental]

Good luck.....it's not looking too clever at the moment for ferries or tunnel.

Sorry.

or for Dunkirk feries either according to interviewed striker

 

[laird of Dunstan]

Beginning to regret selling my boat now

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[scousebird]

For customers travelling today via our UK Terminal
Our passenger service is currently operating to schedule with up to 2 departures per hour. We wish you a pleasant crossing with Eurotunnel Le Shuttle.
For customers travelling today via our French Terminal
Our passenger service is currently operating with some timetable disruption, this is due to an earlier disruption to our service. There is a waiting time of approximately 2 and a half hours on the terminal.
We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience this will cause to your journey.

This information is also available via our 24 hour (recorded) service information on +44 (0) 8444 63 00 00. (Calls cost up to 7p/min + your phone company's access charge )
Last update: 30/06/2015 - 20:15 (GMT +1hr)

 

[scousebird]

Continued Industrial Action in the Port of Calais

P&O Ferries have been affected by further industrial action by the staff of MyFerryLink, another ferry company which has no connection with P&O Ferries. As a result our services into Calais have been suspended today.

We have been warned that the industrial action could last until midnight on Thursday 2nd July. We therefore advise that we are unable to guarantee your travel arrangements for tomorrow and ask that you contact us to cancel or rebook for a later date by calling us on 01304 448877. As our phone lines are extremely busy and wait times will be long, changes or cancellations can be made any time within the next 14 days.

Please rest assured that we are doing everything we possibly can to minimise the impact of the industrial action and we will of course keep you informed of any developments as soon as we have more news.

Latest travel news can be found on our automated Weatherline on 01304 448866, on the travel information pages of poferries.com or you can follow us on twitter @poferriesupdate.

I would like to say once again how sorry we are that a situation completely beyond our control is disrupting our customers’ travel plans.

P&O Ferries Care Team

 

[mpdcymru]

We should be going on the 11 am Chunnel crossing on Thursday so here's hoping it works out. It it is delayed, well at least I'm in the MH so have food, liquid (?) and bed to give me time to re-think plans for the next few weeks!

Could be worse, I could be looking forward to going to work again tomorrow!!

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[Reallyretired]

We were really lucky and came back through the tunnel the day before the strike. Have you thought of Newhaven/Dieppe. Its a four hour crossing but usually a pleasant one.

 

[Spidey]

My sister was rerouted to Dunkirk and is on her way home. Not nice stuck in a queue towing a caravan. At least in a MH you have your own comforts.

 

[jumar]

3.15 in the morning, half a mile from Dunkirk port - gridlocked. Just a minute, police escort arrived.

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[jumar]

Now on ferry waiting to sail. Hardly anyone on it!

Anyone using Dunkirk port do not get into the lanes of lorries, drive past, maybe on the wrong side of the road as directed by the police and go straight into the port.

 

[scousebird]

Latest updates

Tunnel is running normally

P&O sailings still suspended

DFDS Dover - Calais sailings still suspended. Dover - Dunkirk still sailing & taking as much Calais traffic as possible.

 

[gus-lopez]

Haven't DFDS now got 2 extra " My ferry " boats from today? or is it tomorrow ?

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[scousebird]

Haven't DFDS now got 2 extra " My ferry " boats from today? or is it tomorrow ?

2nd July was the official date but the ships will have to be re-branded before they go into operation

 

[scousebird]

Port of Dover reporting that DFDS are running extra ferries to Dunkirk and P&O are running one way service to Boulogne.

Tesco have donated bottled water for the drivers stuck in operation stack

 

[magicsurfbus]

Whilst nobody likes being held up at Calais by strikes (been there) I can't help feeling a little sympathy for the 600 MyFerryLink staff, many of whom face unemployment as of tomorrow. They set up as a co-operative, one of the least corporate and most democratic types of business ownership. However they've fallen foul of UK monopoly legislation aimed at big corporations because they leased their ferries from Eurotunnel, who'd snapped them up when SeaFrance went bust. It's not considered seemly to have Eurotunnel muscling in on ferries in any way, so that's why they've had to stop sailings to Dover and have been protesting. If the French state had hung onto its assets a bit longer this might never have happened.

Probably not uppermost in the minds of those caught in queues on one of the year's hottest days, but cruel irony nonetheless. I hope at least some of the MyFerrylink staff get re-employed by the new ferry owners - at least they made an effort to keep their business going in hard times.

At least MHs come into their own during hold-ups, and all the hot sweaty car-bound tuggers, campers, and hotel dwellers realise why we buy those big boxy buggers for our trips abroad. Probably best not to say "Please could you get me another ice-cold drink from the fridge dear, it looks like we'll be another two hours yet - I'm going up for a kip, give me a shout when they start loading" in too loud a voice.

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[scousebird]

DFDS have said they will employ 200 of the 600 myferrylink staff

 

[denisejoe]

However they've fallen foul of UK monopoly legislation aimed at big corporations because they leased their ferries from Eurotunnel, who'd snapped them up when SeaFrance went bust. It's not considered seemly to have Eurotunnel muscling in on ferries in any way, so that's why they've had to stop sailings to Dover and have been protesting. If the French state had hung onto its assets a bit longer this might never have happened.

That was originally the problem but Eurotunnel appealed and the decision was overturned. They then decided to pull out anyway and sold to DFDS.

With regard to taking on some of the staff they're only taking on 1/3 of the staff but 2/3 of the boats - assume there won't be as many staff working!

Joe

 

[scousebird]

https://twitter.com/POferriesupdate/status/616451252843622400

P&O are reporting that Calais is open and they are sailing again

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[scousebird]

According to the BBC

P&O said Calais port was open for traffic in both directions and it would sail every two hours from Dover to Calais, with ferries leaving at 08:00 BST and 10:00 BST.

One sailing is being allowed to enter the port at a time, with the Port of Dover saying it has no idea when the industrial action will end.

DFDS continues to run to Dunkirk, with an additional ship diverted to the route to help accommodate heavy traffic.

 

[Taran_Las]

Being stuck in France these updates are a Godsend. Thanks.

 

[Judge Mental]

DFDS have said they will employ 200 of the 600 myferrylink staff

typical...divide and rule

Thanks for your great & informative work on this thread..well done

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[Deleted member 29692]

With regard to taking on some of the staff they're only taking on 1/3 of the staff but 2/3 of the boats - assume there won't be as many staff working!

Obviously some of the 600 staff will be land based - admin, terminal, maintenance etc - which DFDS will already have covered in their existing operation and so they won't need to re-employ people in these roles.

 

[Cobweb]

According to the BBC

P&O said Calais port was open for traffic in both directions and it would sail every two hours from Dover to Calais, with ferries leaving at 08:00 BST and 10:00 BST.

One sailing is being allowed to enter the port at a time, with the Port of Dover saying it has no idea when the industrial action will end.

DFDS continues to run to Dunkirk, with an additional ship diverted to the route to help accommodate heavy traffic.

Thanks for the update. We are supposed to be on P&O ferry on Sunday at 10.45 .I am wondering whether it will be on time . We are in a campsite near Abbeville enjoying the cooler weather and thunderstorms just chilling and watching Wimbledon . We will move nearer to Calais on Saturday and any updates from anyone in Calais or anywhere at all with latest info will be much appreciated .

 

[Mousy]

For those of you leaving the uk from ashford we had real problems finding diesel on Tuesday. 3 petrol stations had all diesel pumps out. Possibly due to the thousand of lorries held up.

Thanks to all for the updates, really helpful.
Hope you all get away on time. We were told all back to normal by this Thursday.

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