75 Kent Jobs Axed as Seacat Service is Ended
4 Nov 2005
Cross-Channel ferry operator Hoverspeed is to end its service from Dover to Calais, resulting in the loss of "many" jobs, it confirmed on Friday.
The company, which is owned by Sea Containers, said it could no longer sustain losses on the English Channel. Despite crossings increasing by 17% this year, it said there remained surplus capacity on the route.
Hoverspeed runs two Seacat fast ferries between Dover and Calais, employing 102 staff in Kent and about 60 in Europe. Shipping union Numast said 75 jobs would be lost in Kent, with about two dozen staff being kept on to maintain the Seacat vessels until a decision was made about their redeployment.