EUROFERRIES: Ramsgate to Boulogne

[GaryAndrews]

Originally Posted by Bellebluesea

Everything seems to point to a start, but where are they getting the money ?

That alone points to not starting!

[Bellebluesea]

So, at the outset a bit of grand standing for profile and convince another party to invest, then more of the same to up the financing, eventually enough to get Fred Olsen to paint the side of the boat.

Convinced Boulogne CCI and then Thanet that they have everything in place, trips to the Canaries, to Boulogne and Ramsgate..... who has been paying for this and why? Are these chaps working for nothing ?

Fred Olsen allowing the company to be announced as 'in partnership' with Euroferries, at present if you type 'Euroferries' into Google, there are thousands of links ..... of all types, but if all publicity is good publicity, they should hit the ground running.

The latest article in the Isle of Thanet Gazette states they have employed people, although I haven't met anyone who knows anything about this, could speculate that they may have taken on the lady from LD and maybe she will take a team with her ....

Why go through all this time and effort unless there is some seriousness about it ? I understand that if this had been a study group that someone would be footing the bill, but it is supposed to be the setting up of a new line not the former.

[GaryAndrews]

Hmmm - do we know if anybody has actually got a wage from the company yet?

[Speed]

Heard that the Ops Manager at FO in the Canaries has been given to heave ho - apparantly due to communication issues to with 051. The plot thickens!

[Elliot]

While I agree with most people's sentiment that everything seems rather odd...

They might well just be very cautious as they get started, and asking those involved to sign non-disclosure agreements to keep the details away from the public and other industry members until they are ready. My reasoning for this possibility lies in a few places. The key one would be the rumours of bully tactics used by the larger operators in the past, Speed Ferries always claimed it had a hard time, for example. Perhaps they just want to get themselves sorted before dealing with a lot of questions and pressures unduly. It is reasonably easy to get a website (developed offline) live overnight and it wouldn't take long to see it at the top of the search engines. I think from a marketing perspective, it's worse to promise something for ages that is (very) late than to "invest" (lose) a bit of money up front and come in with a bang. Someone clearly is investing, and they'd likely only do this with good evidence of a return. I said likely.

On the other hand, it could be a case of the common Dragons' Den complaint - lots of good ideas but no watertight business plan. Too many people on there mortgage their houses and spend hundreds of thousands - having to be told that their new cheese grater just won't make the hit they are hoping for, as they can't see it for themselves.

[Bellebluesea]

Bonanza Express is moving out of dry dock ...... where now ?

[SPEEDONE]

Bonanza Express return to Santa cruz de Tenerife

[Bellebluesea]

What is disappointing is to see that the maximum speed she is crossing back to Santa Cruz is only 18.7 knots , would have been good to watch her give the engines a good blow out at the 38 knots .

I doubt her livery has been changed, lets see if someone on the island via fotosdebarcos or sergio cruises gets a snap for us.

[SPEEDONE]

The BE is back in Tenerife and has not been repainted in the colors of Euroferries. Will it one day on the dover strait ?

[Millsy]

Originally Posted by Elliot

it's worse to promise something for ages that is (very) late than to "invest" (lose) a bit of money up front and come in with a bang.

What else have they been doing? And for several years now. It's August 21st now leaving a total of ten days to meet their own ' late August' deadline. Their mooted vessel is still in Tenerife with no signs of going anywhere fast. There has not been a peep - as far as one can tell - from their 'partner' Fred Olsen. Even if they got it here in the next week what chance would they have of getting through all the regulatory hurdles in time? And even if they did go live overnight who the hell would they carry for the first few weeks? As for investment, what have they spent? So far they have produced nothing more than our dearly remembered KMW Marine Services. Compared with this outfit HD Lines were realists of the first water....