SpeedFerries was a low cost

ferry A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus ...

operator which started in May 2004 and continued in business until November 2008. It operated one route between

Dover Dover ( ) is a town and major ferry port in Kent, southeast England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies southeast of Canterbury and east of Maidstone. ...

in England and

Boulogne Boulogne-sur-Mer (; ; ; or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Hauts-de-France, Northern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Pas-de-Calais. Boul ...

in France. It had one high-speed ferry, called SpeedOne. Its founder and

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

was Curt Stavis, originally from Denmark.

History

SpeedFerries was the first low cost fast ferry operator in the

English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...

, and faced considerable opposition from the existing ferry operators, whom SpeedFerries accused of acting unfairly and using illegal practices. These allegations included blocking berths to prevent ferries docking, spying, and hoax bomb scares. In response, SpeedFerries liveried its ship with 'Fight the Pirates' on the side. In January 2005, the company was featured in the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

's '' Trouble at the Top'' programme: the edition's name was "Fight the Pirates". In the amphibious car redux episode of Top Gear (Season 10, Episode 2) the ferry appears in a staged bit where it appears as though it is going to run over James May and Richard Hammond. Reports in the maritime press indicated that SpeedFerries had secured a second vessel for use in 2007 which was likely to be the ''Mastercat'', a Incat

catamaran A catamaran () (informally, a "cat") is a watercraft with two parallel hull (watercraft), hulls of equal size. The wide distance between a catamaran's hulls imparts stability through resistance to rolling and overturning; no ballast is requi ...

which was to be replaced with a larger vessel by its owners, Master Ferries. However, Master Ferries were unable to secure the larger vessel so ''Mastercat'' was no longer available to SpeedFerries. Sailings to be operated by the second vessel were advertised on the SpeedFerries website. In May 2008, SpeedFerries bought SpeedOne from Incat. In February 2007, SpeedFerries signed a lease on the former Dover Hoverport, though not the terminal building, at Dover's Western Docks, and subsequently moved operations there in March 2007. Once the move was achieved, SpeedFerries was able to provide exclusive facilities in both of its ports as it no longer shared them with other operators.

Arrest

On 6 November 2008, ''SpeedOne'' was arrested in Boulogne in a dispute over unpaid taxes. SpeedFerries issued a statement on its website concerning the situation.

Administration

On 13 November 2008, SpeedFerries went into administration. On 17 November, administrators were appointed and on 26 November the following closure notice was issued:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Speedferries Defunct shipping companies of the United Kingdom Ferry companies of England Ferry companies of France Transport companies established in 2004 Transport companies disestablished in 2008 Companies that have entered administration in the United Kingdom