New France -- Spain service launches

The first ‘Motorways of the Sea’ ferry service between France and Spain will be officially launched on 16th September 2010 at Montoir-de-Bretagne (Nantes-Saint-Nazaire port, France).

In attendance will be Dominique Bussereau, French Secretary of State for Transport, José Blanco López, Spanish Minister for Public Works and Philippe Louis-Dreyfus, President of Louis Dreyfus Armateurs.

Operated by LD Lines, the new service will provide three round trips per week between Nantes-Saint-Nazaire in North West France to Gijon in Northern Spain, with a crossing time of 14 hours.

The service will be inaugurated by the ship Norman Bridge, carrying unaccompanied and accompanied freight vehicles and passengers.

The service represents a significant new addition to the company’s ferry route network as LD Lines’ Managing Director, Christophe Santoni, explains: “This new link will provide both tourist passengers and freight customers with a unique landbridge between the UK and Northern Spain, crossing via our Portsmouth – Le Havre or Newhaven – Dieppe routes for example, and then onward travel to Spain via Nantes-Saint-Nazaire.

“This is an exciting new development and we also have plans to upgrade the service to a daily frequency, depending on the level of demand the route generates.”

‘Motorways of the Sea’ is an EU funded programme for projects that move freight traffic from roads to sea, rail and inland waterways.

The new LD Lines’ service will benefit from an EU approved, €30 million subsidy from France and Spain over a four year period and a further €4 million grant from Marco Polo as part of a seven year convention.

For further information or to book on the new service, visit: www.ldlines.com

Published: 15/09/2010