Ferry route to stop after demand sinks

It is being reported that P&O Ferries plans to stop its route between Hull and Zeebrugge in Belgium after a fall in demand due to Covid-19.

The ferry operator which has said it is having to take “difficult action” as a result of the “extended impact” of the pandemic, is expected to also reduce it services between Dover and Calais, putting a total of 140 jobs at risk, as it looks to become a “slimmer and more agile business”.

The route between Hull and Zeebrugge has been running since the 1960s and is expected to end in the next few months, with both of the ferries, the Pride of York and the Pride of Bruges, being retired.

Darren Procter, national secretary for the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union, explained that the crossing had been a “challenging route for a number of years” and that the drop in passenger numbers in the wake of Covid-19, coupled with the growing financial costs of ageing vessels meant “P&O made the decision to cut their losses.”

Procter added that the closure of the route would have a wider economic impact on the local area, highlighting that passengers would normally “use local amenities”.

A spokesperson for P&O said: “Due to the extended impact of Covid-19, we are having to take further difficult action in which some jobs will be made redundant – but as a result thousands more jobs will be saved.

“These necessary steps will ensure we are a slimmer and more agile business that is better able to give customers the service they want and the value they demand.”