New fast ferry firm eyeing Dover Port

ANOTHER fast ferry operator has shown an interest in operating a cross-Channel service from Dover.

It follows the closure of the Hoverspeed Seacat service between Dover and Calais in November, and the company's withdrawal from the hoverport.

Dover Harbour Board advertised the hoverport site as being available for prospective shipping operators, and it is understood that a number of enquiries were made.

A board spokesman said: "We are having negotiations with a potential fast ferry operator and those negotiations are continuing."

No other details have been revealed, but it is not believed to involve SpeedFerries, who currently operate Seacat services between Dover and Boulogne, or Sea Containers, who were the parent company of Hoverspeed.

If a new service is introduced, it is likely to be a seasonal service, starting probably at Easter and running through to the autumn, or possibly to the end of the year.

The Harbour Board has denied reports that the former hoverport could be used to park lorries when there is a build-up of traffic waiting to get into Dover's Eastern Docks.

Meanwhile, there are reports that the two of the SRN4 hovercraft which used to operate from Dover, The Princess Anne and The Princess Margaret, have been sold.

They had been stored at a hovercraft museum in Hampshire but it is understood that an entrepreneur has now bought them.

There are fears that he only wants their powerful engines, and will scrap the rest of the craft.

The Museum Trust had also been acting on behalf of Sea Containers for the sale of spare engines at Dover, including Proteus and Rover gas turbines.

There are currently no special offers available.