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Cont: Brexit: Now What? Part 6. Pick up sticks...

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Information Analyst said:
BBC News: No-deal Brexit ferry contract sparks concerns

"Concerns have been raised over the readiness of a British firm contracted by the government to run extra ferries in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

Seaborne Freight was awarded a £13.8m contract this week to run a freight service between Ramsgate and Ostend.

The firm has never run a ferry service and a local councillor said it would be impossible to launch before Brexit.

The government said it had awarded the contract in "the full knowledge that Seaborne is a new shipping provider".

The Department for Transport said that "the extra capacity and vessels would be provided as part of its first services".

"As with all contracts, we carefully vetted the company's commercial, technical and financial position in detail before making the award," it added."

Hmmm....
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I saw thst, a fascinating example of stupidity. A "shipping line" with no ships, nor any real chance of acquiring them in time.
Can we get a list of directors and shareholders?
 
KDLarsen said:
Like the French company being hired to produce post-Brexit UK passports, I'm somewhat amused they've chosen a pair of Danish and French shipping companies to provide the bulk of the ferry services.. :)
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Well if you need a job done right hire competent foteigners.
 
catsmate said:
Well if you need a job done right hire competent foteigners.
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This from The Scum from yesterday's editorial.

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I cannot decipher the message.
 
Vixen said:
The other thing is, Ramsgate is a narrow bay, so the ships coming in and out need to be ultra narrow. I wonder how quickly Seaborne can build a few. And whether £14m will cover it.
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Three months? Not a chance.
 
GlennB said:
Captain_Swoop, please phone #10 immediately. You seem to have a bigger clue than the jokers working there. Feel free to add a 10% "finder's fee" to the price; it's still a bargain.
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Scarily this is true.
 
Thst ship only takes ip to 91 trailers.
They will need quite a few of that size to make a difference.
Even the Tees which is mainly a bulk liquids and gas port has RoRo Trailer ferries coming in every day that make that one look like a dinghy.
 
catsmate said:
I saw thst, a fascinating example of stupidity. A "shipping line" with no ships, nor any real chance of acquiring them in time.
Can we get a list of directors and shareholders?
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https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/10709921

Directors is easy enough, click the People tab. I think the filings only show total shares issued, but I don't have time to look through all the filing right now.
 
GlennB said:
**** :eek:

It needs reading, not summarising by me or anyone else.
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This whole affair needs the attention of the Serious Fraud Office, imo, and that includes Chris Grayling's decision to grant them £14 million of tax payer's money.
 
Seaborne has been planning for this since at least 2017. It doesn't need to build or own ships, it will lease them. It has directors that have a lot of experience in this field. It isn't as stupid as it sounds.

edit - although after checking their accounts it may be kinda stupid
 
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RolandRat said:
Seaborne has been planning for this since at least 2017. It doesn't need to build or own ships, it will lease them. It has directors that have a lot of experience in this field. It isn't as stupid as it sounds.

edit - although after checking their accounts it may be kinda stupid
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How many boats can they lease with £66.25p?
 
Finding ships with the trailer capacity needed and the beam narrow enough to operate in the chosen dock will not be so easy.
Add the fact that the dock hasn't been used for years and will need dredging and refurbishing. All in three months?

What they need are RoRo ferries for trailers, not car and passenger ferries. They are not easy to come by.
 
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