# More Calais Action



## listerdiesel (Aug 3, 2012)

From the DFDS website:

DFDS Seaways Updates @DFDSUKUpdates 
The Calais s/w 19:15 is aming to leave dover at 20:15 heading to Calais with the possibiltiy of being diverted to Dunkerque port

DFDS Seaways Updates @DFDSUKUpdates 
Due to MLF action the port of calais has currenlty been blocked. The Malo S/W s is currently waitng permission to enter the port of Calais.

Within the last 30min.

Peter


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## gaspode (May 9, 2005)

Bank holiday opportunists - disgraceful way to behave.

I can sit them out in a M/H no problem, park up, put the kettle on and watch TV until they get fed up and go away.

But what about the families with a car full of screaming kids and a job to get back to on Tuesday morning?

I know what I'd do to them.


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

Many often are desperate

Some are just economic migrants

The EU needs a concerted effort to sort it

It's no longer good enough to talk about the first country of refuge they land in

With boatloads landing in countries that can't sustain them

There needs to be a way to register them and distribute them fairly

And send economic migrants back to their own country 

At the moment with the world upheaval

True refugees need to be sorted a safe haven first

Aldra


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## gaspode (May 9, 2005)

MFL = My Ferry Link = nothing whatsoever to do with migrants, refugees or the EU - read the O/P again.

Everything to do with French trade unionists and the inability of the French authorities to control them.

http://www.kentonline.co.uk/dover/news/port-closure-leaves-thousands-stranded-42488/


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

Is Aldra a closet journalist?

Sounds like a Daily Wail response!! :wink2: :grin2:


Sorry - too good to resist! :kiss:


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## robbosps (Mar 10, 2014)

DFDS Seaways Updates ‏@DFDSUKUpdates 3h3 hours ago
Calais port has now reopened, normal service has resumed.
All services are operating to the advertised scheduled with space available.





Its open again !


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## robbosps (Mar 10, 2014)

P&O have delays ! 

P&O Ferries Updates ‏@POferriesupdate 5m5 minutes ago
The Port of Calais is now open again - our services are subject to delays.


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## nicholsong (May 26, 2009)

According to a report I read the port was closed by the port authority. 

I wonder why,because the ferries would be transitting a constrained channel so have right of way, thus if there were a collision the lifeboat Captain would be to blame.

Was the port authority acting to protect the protesters? They are responsible for operating their vessels safely.

OR was the authority acting in support of the protesters by preventing the Captains excercising their own discretion to sail.

If either of these scenarios are true the port authority should be brought to account. 

If Tugboat or any other ticketed officers read this please comment. 

Geoff


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## wakk44 (Jun 15, 2006)

Looks like things are returning to normal...http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34105271
I agree that they are taking advantage of the bank holiday period.Hope it's ok for this sunday when we are on the ferry.


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## randonneur (Jan 25, 2007)

This weekend is not a Bank Holiday in France and France is were this incident occurred.


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## tugboat (Sep 14, 2013)

International maritime law is quite clear than small vessels shall not impede the passage of larger vessels that are constrained to a deep channel. Somewhat different to a blockade. Any Master of a large ship who deliberately caused a collision by trying to barge his way through would probably have his ticket withdrawn.

Let's face it, the French authorities have made a rod for their own backs. They have a history of backing down to pressure from strikers, whether it be farmers, truckers, air traffic controllers or ferry workers. We are less tolerant of industrial action in the UK. You reap what you sow.

I feel sorry for all the innocent travellers caught up in it and fully understand the anger and frustration on both sides. The Tunnel/Ferry logistics need sorting out with a view to longterm sustainability for both, with enough slack in the system to allow for mishaps to either service.


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## gaspode (May 9, 2005)

randonneur said:


> This weekend is not a Bank Holiday in France and France is were this incident occurred.


Precisely so.

So the French travelers are not unduly inconvenienced whilst the UK travelers are seriously affected. Maybe you think that the UK bank holiday is a closely guarded secret that French workers are unaware of?


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## nicholsong (May 26, 2009)

tugboat said:


> International maritime law is quite clear than small vessels shall not impede the passage of larger vessels that are constrained to a deep channel. Somewhat different to a blockade. Any Master of a large ship who deliberately caused a collision by trying to barge his way through would probably have his ticket withdrawn.
> .


Tuggers

Presumably you meant that if a Master tried to barge through a blockade he would be at fault. In this case the two lifeboats were reported to be circling in the entrance, which presumably they could not continue to do if a ship were making passage through the channel, without being in breach of the Rules.

Geoff


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## tugboat (Sep 14, 2013)

Geoff, sorry, I don't know any detail. All I saw was a poor photo above of a lifeboat. I don't know how many or what exactly they were doing. I remember some years ago, the fishermen literally put a barrier of fishing vessels across the entrance to a ferry port.

I'm coming late to this story so not sure what actions were taken and by whom. It would presumably be up to the French Harbourmaster, backed up by Gendarmes, to keep the port clear, but there seems to be a lack of willingness for the authorities over there to confront strikers head-on, or maybe they have a legal process they have to go through, I don't know.


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## lalala (Aug 13, 2009)

Now that all the Scandinavian ferries have been withdrawn (and I hear that the last remaining freight crossings to offer a limited passenger service are considering withdrawing this in September) we are becoming increasingly isolated as far as road transport links from the UK to Europe are concerned. It does appear that a major reason for the withdrawal of the link between Harwich and Esbjerg was the forcing of non-sulphur fuel on the North sea ferries by the EU, though whether this is enforced on Mediterranean routes I do not know. Thus the EU sems to have been instrumental in cutting our transport possibilities.
When the French allow disruption by any sort of protesters on the scale of this summer then we are in an even worse position. 
If France cannot or will not act to cub these disruptions which prevent the much vaunted free movement throughout the EU, then the EU itself needs to act. Why is our government not doing more to push this forward.
France this summer sometimes felt like a state of anarchy, excrement and other filthy stuff piled high at supermarket doors, delays to transport, motorway diversions because of protests .... and some of these were after the government apparently promised more big subsidies and some supermarkets are full of publicity to encourage people to 'buy French'. 
Lala


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## Mrplodd (Mar 4, 2008)

Don't expect the French "Authorities" to do anything at all, they won't.

I recall some years ago arriving at Calais only to find that the dockers were striking (quelle surprise eh??) The local Gendarmerie turned up and guess what they did????

Rather than move the dockers out of the way they, The Gendarmes, parked their police cars across the road, thus preventing ANY vehicular movement in or out of the port!

They then proceeded to mingle with said strikers, laughing, pointing at the huge queues that quickly built up, sharing a few gally-whatever-the-spelling-is **** and generally making it abundantly clear that no-one was going anywhere until they, The Gendarmes, decreed it "Bonne" 

To the best of,my knowledge ****All has changed. :slicksmile:


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

I am in now way defending the blockade before anyone says that as I am living in France I must be .......

The law as regards strikes and industrial action is chaotic; strikers are LEGALLY allowed to occupy their "place of employment" as part of an industrial dispute. The ferries at the seat of this have been legally occupied and illegally wrecked by protesters, it is unlikely that they will ever be allowed to leave port as they have been stripped of anything such as radio equipment, safety equipment or fittings - I wonder where these have all gone? The local scrapyard probably has a large selection.....

The lifeboats are also part of their "place of employment" so could legally be used - crazy that is as they no longer belong to their original employer......

The two lifeboats in use were apparently moored to the end of the quays and the Port Authorities decided to close the Port - thus no Master could legally move his ship even if he could easily have driven past the lifeboats without even rocking them as the entrance has many metres of clearance and the moored boats are less than 3m wide.

The UK Government should be pressing the French Government to open the port - but that of course takes time and very cleverly the "workers" removed the moored boats after a few hours - well before the UK Government could have alerted the French Government to the disruption and the French Government have considered what they could do - which is virtually nothing as the action was legal.

It is time the EC stepped in and stressed the need for "free movement across borders" - something which is such a fundamental part of the EC Constitution when migrants are considered, but is conveniently forgotten when the movement of one section of the EC's citizens is considered.....

The timing of the action was NOT coincidental - the French Union (with a very small number of members) responsible act deliberately to cause the maximum disruption possible, safe in the knowledge that French Law protects them......

In this case the inmates are certainly running the madhouse, no French President or Prime Minister dares to take ANY action against the Unions; Union membership in France is the lowest in the whole of the EC, but there are more Unions in France than any other EC country yet French Law protects them against any action - no other Union will willingly cross a picket line for fear of repercussions.......

Welcome to the madhouse......

Dave


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## Mrplodd (Mar 4, 2008)

Dave

Thanks for that very succinct explanation of the Asylum that is French industrial action law.

I recall the howls of protest from the left when, many years ago, Maggie Thatcher,forced through legislation that made such actions, including secondary picketing illegal. Think what state the UK would now be in if the likes of Red Robbo etc were able to pull some of the stunts that MFL (ex) staff seem to be able to do with total impunity. 

Andy


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

Zebedee said:


> Is Aldra a closet journalist?
> 
> Sounds like a Daily Wail response!! :wink2: :grin2:
> 
> Sorry - too good to resist! :kiss:


Ye of little resistance!! :kiss:

p*** off Dougal said Florence

And he did, all over Zebedee>

Must confess I did get hold of the wrong end of the stick though

If it's not immigrants it's the French

sandra


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## Mrplodd (Mar 4, 2008)

Sit back in your chair Sandra, someone will be along to plug it in shortly >

Andy


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

don't you start Andy

I have you as the reliable sensible one

Sandra


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