The SEVEN SISTERS

Dover Harbour Board approves new services
LD Lines to commence new Dover-Dieppe and Boulogne services...

Dover Harbour Board confirms today that approval has been granted to LD Lines to operate a service between Dover-Dieppe and the early start to the Dover-Boulogne route with both services commencing on the 12th February.

They will operate a one a day service to Dieppe, with a crossing time of 4 hours 15 minutes plus two return sailings between Dover and Boulogne, a crossing of 1 hour 45 minutes.

Both routes will operate a conventional freight and passenger service.

The company will begin a Dover – Boulogne service almost six months ahead of schedule, from the previously announced 1 July 2009 start date, by introducing a conventional freight and passenger ferry to the route.

Operating from Dover Eastern Docks, in the Port of Boulogne the ship will utilise the existing berth previously utilised by the defunct fast ferry operator, SpeedFerries.

“We can clearly identify the strong commercial opportunities for a direct ferry link to be re-established between Dover and Boulogne following the departure of the previous operator and our research shows the demand is there from tourist passengers and freight customers, to bring forward the start date of the service, “ says Christophe Santoni, Managing Director LD Lines.

“A profitable ferry service must rely on a combination of passenger and freight business and by introducing a conventional ship to operate between Dover, Boulogne and Dieppe, both freight and tourist markets will have an extensive choice across our expanded route network.”

From 12 February two return sailings daily will be provided between Dover and Boulogne with a crossing time of 1 hour 45 minutes. One round trip daily will operate between Dover and Dieppe with a crossing time of 4 hours 15 minutes.


Built as recently as 2007, the ships introducing the new services will alternate between the “Seven Sisters” and “Cote d’Albatre”, both of which currently operate on the Newhaven – Dieppe route under the Transmanche Ferries name, part of LD Lines network of ferry routes. The sister ships have capacity for 600 passengers and 300 cars or 52 freight vehicles or combination of both.

“We are delighted to welcome the early start of this new service by LD Lines, which proposes immediately a new travel opportunity for the 700,000 passengers a year who were using the previous service,” said Francis Leroy, President of the Chamber of Commerce Boulogne-sur-Mer Cote d’Opale. “This is excellent news for the port, town and Boulonnais region at the start of the year and is the first step prior to the service increasing from two to six return sailings daily from July 2009 with a second ship.”

The Dover – Dieppe service will be opening new direct tourist and commercial trading links between the South East of England and the Normandy region of France and provide many travel benefits, as Christophe Santoni explains.

“Freight and tourist customers will be saving 250 km drive time by using this service and the route will create an innovative travel choice for customers whose onward destinations are the West and South West of France and Spain. The service will give them a 4 hour rest period too on board during the crossing, compared to extra hours on the roads en route to regions such as Normandy and Brittany.”

For tourist traffic on the Dover – Boulogne route, lead-in fares start from £24 one way for car and four passengers and Dover – Dieppe from £29.50 each way for a car and two passengers. Both offers must be booked by 31 January 2009 via www.ldlines.com or call : 0844 576 8836.

With construction of the Port of Boulogne’s new Hub Port Ro Ro terminal well advanced, as planned LD Lines will be inaugurating the new berth facilities with the addition of a second ship to the route from 1 July 2009. Sailing frequency between Dover and Boulogne will then increase from two to six return sailings daily.

LD Lines cross channel ferry service network will now comprise four routes including Portsmouth – Le Havre ; Newhaven – Dieppe ; Dover – Boulogne and Dover – Dieppe, in addition to a direct ferry service between Le Havre and Rosslare Europort in Southern Ireland.

LD Lines is owned by the Louis Dreyfus Armateurs Group, a leading French shipowner with over 100 years experience in the shipping industry, operating over 60 ships worldwide.

For more information visit www.ldlines.com