Ferryways considers new ships

With the recent opening of a second ro-ro berth for use by Ferryways at the Ipswich Ferry Terminal, new ships could be on the horizon for Ferryways’ service linking Ipswich with Ostend, and a new route out of Ipswich is also under consideration.

When the company began its service in 2000, it was with two daily sailings, the first of which carried just seven trailers. Since then, the service has grown rapidly, to four sailings per day, and the route carried 105,000 freight units in 2004. However, finding suitable ships for any expansion is difficult particularly since the Gulf conflict has sucked many ro-ro vessels out of the market.

Jacques Dewilde, Ferryways’ managing director, said “We are considering new ships for Ipswich, for delivery in 2008. We would have to build them for ourselves because there is nothing suitable available or being built for what we want. We are working with a shipyard on the ideal design.”

Dewilde described the Port of Ipswich as well connected and very well managed and said “With the construction of this second ro-ro berth, we are poised to grow our business further and all of this would not have been possible without the relentless support of our friends in Ipswich.”