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Three-day Calais port blockade partially lifted

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Some cross-Channel ferry operations resumed last night after a three-day blockade of Calais was partially lifted.


P&O Ferries said services were running with a sailing every two hours from Dover as efforts were made to move the vast backlog of traffic building up on both sides of the channel.


But DFDS Seaways Dover-Calais services remained suspended due to the industrial action at the French port.


French MyFerryLink workers are protesting against the sale of the former SeaFrance operation to DFDS.


An offer by DFDS to take on 202 of MyFerryLink’s 600 workers was rejected earlier this week.


MyFerryLink ceased operating at midnight ahead of the transfer of its vessels to DFDS.


Carsten Jensen, senior vice president and head of DFDS Seaways in the UK, condemned the strike action and appealed to French authorities to reopen the port of Calais to all ferry services.


“We are deeply concerned that our customers are continuing to face long delays on their cross channel journeys due to ongoing industrial action in Calais,” he said.


“We’d like to apologise to all our passengers and freight customers caught up in this gruelling situation and appeal to the authorities in France to reopen the port of Calais as soon as possible to allow people to travel through it quickly and safely.


“Whilst we appreciate the hard work from the police and port authorities in Dover and France, and we are working closely with them to transport as many passengers as possible through the alternative port of Dunkirk, some 20 miles east of Calais, the reality is that this situation is simply not acceptable and must not be allowed to continue.”


The Eurotunnel Le Shuttle passenger service was operating to schedule this morning with three departures an hour. Eurostar trains to and from London were also running a full service following disruption on Tuesday.

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