Stena Line introduces fuel surcharge to cope with surging prices

Source: Supply Chain Digital

Date :09/06/2008 11:39:35

Stena Line, one of the world's largest ferry companies, said on Friday June 06, 2008, that it is close to introducing a fuel surcharge on some of its routes to cope with rising fuel bills.

The charge will hit people travelling to Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic from Britain. Customers on Irish Sea routes will pay an extra £10 per car for a single trip, while coaches face a £30 surcharge.

The charges apply to newly booked journeys from June 16.

The move follows fast-ferry operator SpeedFerries introducing a charge. P&O, whose routes include Dover to Calais, says it hopes to absorb costs by encouraging customers to spend more.

Fuel charge

Stena Line said last month that a surcharge was "inevitable".

“In recent months Stena Line has been closely monitoring the escalating price of fuel and the effect the constant price rises are having on our day to day business," said Paul Grant, the firm's head of travel market on the Irish Sea.

"As a company we have been making a number of operational changes in our effort to shield our customers from the full extent of the massive rise in fuel costs, but it has now become impossible for us to continue to do so. Regretfully this situation is beyond our control."

The Dutch part of the business, which operates services between Harwich and the Hook of Holland, was considering its position on surcharges, the company said.

June 08, 2008