A ramp in Ramsgate, where Seaborne Freight was due to dredge to prepare for a no-deal Brexit A firm with no ships that was to ensure ferries kept crossing the Channel in a no-deal Brexit has had its contract cancelled.
Seaborne Freight’s £13.8m contract had attracted widespread criticism after it emerged the firm owned no vessels suitable for carrying goods or vehicles.
The Department for Transport (DfT) said it had decided to terminate Seaborne’s contract after Irish company Arklow Shipping, which had provided backing to the deal, stepped away.
A DfT spokeswoman said: “Following the decision of Seaborne Freight’s backer, Arklow Shipping, to step back from the deal, it became clear Seaborne would not reach its contractual requirements with the government.
Paul Messenger, Conservative county councillor for Ramsgate, said he was pleased the contract had been scrapped as the deal would have meant the town’s historic docks would have suffered.
He said: Ramsgate should not be used as a sacrificial lamb for Brexit No Deal Resilience as at best it could only service a 3% contribution to cross channel [roll-on/roll-off services] if a ferry link with Ostend was established.
The DfT have done the right thing by pulling away from Seaborne as they were proven to be not fit for purpose.
The firm had said it was on track to start twice-daily sailings by the end of March – when the UK is due to leave the EU having initially planned to launch Ramsgate-Ostend crossings during February.
The company said in a statement in December that it had been working since 2017 on plans to reintroduce ferry sailings from Ramsgate starting in early 2019.
The DfT said it stood by the robust due diligence carried out on Seaborne Freight and added no taxpayer money had been transferred to the company.