LD Lines withdraws SeaFrance bid
LD Lines has withdrawn its bid for rival SeaFrance, claiming it was uncertain as to the real intentions of the seller, SNCF.
The ferry operator also blamed its decision on opposition of the unions, claiming they “expressed fierce objections without even knowing or asking to know the content of LD Lines’ offerâ€.
LD had planned to buy a controlling stake in SeaFrance and create a “Large SeaFrance”, combining the existing ferry services of SeaFrance with LD Lines, the head-office of which would have been in Calais.
This newly-formed group would have operated under the SeaFrance name.
“This true industrial project, in LD Lines’ view, was a guarantee for the future of the company and for the employment in the Nord / Pas de Calais region,†said an LD statement.
“LD Lines deeply regrets that its industrial project could not be implemented within the required time frame. However, the company sincerely hopes that SNCF will find a suitable solution to ensure the future of SeaFrance, a leading French shipping company, as well as to safeguard the largest possible number of jobs.â€
By Bev Fearis
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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