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Ferry traffic between Britain and Ireland has dropped, but more Irish people are now travelling by ferry to France.The total number of passengers travelling by ferry from Ireland to Britain was down by 130,000 in the first half of this year, compared to last year."Subdued consumer demand" is the main reason given by the Irish Maritime Development Office (IMDO) in its half-yearly passenger traffic reportDublin Port showed a growth of 14%, which is attributed to the moving of ferry traffic from Dun Laoghaire to Dublin.However, overall the ferry business to Britain is down, and the Sterling-Euro exchange rate is another reason blamed in the IMDO report.
In contrast, ferry passenger traffic to France, where Irish people find a better Euro value than at home, is up by 4%. This increase is mostly due to the excellent service of Irish Ferries, the operator of the ferries to and from France.
Their main vessel at present is the Oscar Wilde (above), which sails from Rosslare, Co. Wexford to Cherbourg every second day, with the return journey the next day.Adding an observation of my own to the IMDO report, there is also a growing number of people who are utterly fed-up with the ever increasing extra charges, invented by so-called 'low fares' airlines to boost their profits. This, combined with ever more hassle at airports, turns sensible people travelling to Europe away from airlines and makes them use the ferry service to France, which is very competitive now.The Emerald Islander
€ 440,000 in cash has been found hidden in the door panels of a car at Rosslare Europort (photo) in Co. Wexford. According to Customs officials the find is being linked to drug smuggling.Two men were in the car when it was stopped yesterday by officers of the Revenue & Customs Service before it was about to be driven on to a ferry destined for France.Customs officers at Rosslare said their initial investigation indicates that the money was intended for the importation of a large consignment of drugs.The two men in the car were released after their identity was established.Officers later applied for and were granted a three-month detention order under the Proceeds of Crime Act by Judge Gerard Furlong at Gorey District Court, in order to carry out further investigations.This find brings the amount of money seized by Customs officers under the Proceeds of Crime Act (enacted 12 years ago) to almost € 3 million.Finance Minister Brian Lenihan, who is currently scraping the bottom of every government barrel for extra cash, will be delighted.The Emerald Islander
Cannabis resin with an estimated street value of € 8 million has been seized by Irish Customs officers in the port of Rosslare in County Wexford (left).
The drugs have been discovered yesterday afternoon, hidden amongst legitimate cargo in a 40 ft container that had arrived by ferry from Cherbourg in France. The cannabis was packed on two wooden pallets marked as 'footwear'. It is understood that there were in total 1145 kgs of the drug hidden in the container.
Customs officers say they made the seizure after risk profiling the cargo. They were also assisted by a specially trained drug detection dog.
Last night a 27-year-old man and a woman aged 20 have been arrested by Gardaí in Wexford in connection with the drugs find in Rosslare. They have been questioned and are still being detained at Wexford Garda Station. They can be held for up to seven days.
Ferry traffic between Britain and Ireland has dropped, but more Irish people are now travelling by ferry to France.
In contrast, ferry passenger traffic to France, where Irish people find a better Euro value than at home, is up by 4%. This increase is mostly due to the excellent service of Irish Ferries, the operator of the ferries to and from France.
