Thursday, November 05, 2009

All Change On The Fast Ferry Front?

Yikes! This story's moving faster than a, er, fast ferry! I'm indebted to a reader for pointing out that the catamaran Bonanza Express, which everyone assumes has been chartered from Fred Olsen by the new Euroferries service between Ramsgate and Boulogne due to kick off on 14 November, has now had its destination and departure date changed on the Port of Santa Cruz website.

Only yesterday we were told it was being painted in the Euroferries livery in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, where it's currently docked. At the time, it was due to leave for the UK on 6 November according to the port website. Now its departure date is given as 22 November, and its destination... another part of Tenerife! Of course, it could just mean that Euroferries are chartering a different vessel for their new service, but then why go to all the trouble of painting their logo on the side of the Boney E?

I've also been emailed by another reader saying that yesterday's story on the Isle of Thanet Gazunder website (see 'Ramsgate ferry will arrive on time' in News Nibbles in the top, right hand corner of this blog) to the effect that the tax paid shop in Ramsgate passenger terminal has been completed is, to put it politely, a load of cods. So, what's going on? I think we should be told!

Bonanza Express on Port of Santa Cruz website

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Must be one ferry comming for the 14th and a second one joining it on the 22nd. o if you and a friend want to go to Bolougne-sur-mer for the day you can have one each. Apart from Thanets blog readers how many other people in Thanet know there's a ferry srvice starting?

Anonymous said...

The TDC way of doing business - smoke and mirrors. Give the impression that something is going on when in fact bugger all is happening.

Did you know, for example, that Thanet District Council have not actually engaged with South Eastern Railways about how they intend to promote the fact that Thanet has a high speed rail link in operation and going full service in December? Other towns, such as Ashford and Folkestone have applied for and received European Commission grants to improve links to the train stations and attract new businesses? £22,000,000 for Folkestone is what I've been told.

Gift horses, mouths, etc etc.
TDC are furnished with all the tools to create new revenue, attract businesses and migrants and open up new jop markets to Thanet - the new ferry and the train - but all they can do is flog to death the cart horse that is Manston.

Anonymous said...

Anon 12.01. Manston is not a cart horse but it could become a Shergar.

Anonymous said...

Anon 12.02

Haven't you forgotten - TDC don't like the existing DFL's asking questions let alone trainloads more of coming down here and upsetting their cosy cartel.

If you're right, it's yet another example of the clueless old farts of Cecil Square messing up again.
Can't central government put the duffers under some form of special measures. It works for sink-schools

ECR, any idea which buffoon has filed this in the 'Don't understand this / Don't care about this' bin at TDC?

Anonymous said...

"could be come a shergar"

chopped into little bits and fed to the dogs?

Anonymous said...

12.17

Shergar in his prime = Manston in WW11

Shergar in Northern-Irish bin-bags = Manston now

Anonymous said...

12.33 roger latchford looks after the port.

sorry, when I say looks after it, I mean its his responsibility.

Anonymous said...

Sorry, I was asking who it is that has missed out on the EC funding?

Who should be co-ordinating matters with the Rail operator?

Instead of banging on about awards that the UK's only 'Hidden' tourist office has won - (precise location in Ramsgate a secret...sshhhhh) what are they doing to promote Ramsgate to the London market?

A DFL said...

Shergar, Lord Lucan and his chums at TDC don't want DFLs settling down here. DFLs might be intelligent, monied, slightly less right wing than Attila the Hun, and therefore unwilling to go along with the cosy Wills, Thorley, Ezekiel, Latchford, Godden, Samuels, and White status quo, whose sole purpose seems to be to lead Thanet down, down, deeper and down (geddit?!??!) while they get rich off the back of carving up the seafronts and countryside.

Anonymous said...

Unlike Edenbridge in west Kent you dont need to burn a 25 high effigy of Katie Price tonight. There are plenty of local guys for you to choose from in the 'A DFL said' comment. Where would I stay without the investment made in Ramsgate's hotels by the local guy?

Isabelle said...

On the Localizatodo site, its destination has gone to CRT/GMR/VDE, Los Cristianos/La Gomera/Valverde on the island of El Hierro.

This was its original route and the one that was listed whilst it was on the Marine Traffic site in Las Palmas.

So, that's it then ?

Readit said...

I knew Father Christmas was a myth.
HONEST I did !!!!!.

I hear TDC have got a new PR exec, who is called Miss I. N. Formation.
She would tell us what is happening.