Hoverspeed

Hoverspeed was a British shipping company based in Dover. It was created in 1981 by the merger of Seaspeed and Hoverlloyd. By 2005 she was one of the largest providers of ferry services on the English Channel and belonged to the group of Sea Containers since 1986.

History

1981 merged the two shipping companies Seaspeed and Hoverlloyd to the economic pressure better able to withstand. With a fleet of six original SRN4 hovercraft Hoverspeed offered between Dover and Calais at the fastest ferry service between England and mainland Europe. With a journey time of about 30 minutes and an unloading and loading time of less than 15 minutes, the hovercrafts were significantly superior to conventional ferries. Despite high utilization and gains the shipping company reduced the number of hovercraft in the 1990s on two SRN4 and finally presented on 1 October 2000 the connection. The hovercrafts have been replaced by catamarans whose travel time, however, was significantly higher than that of their predecessors. The company also set up two more compounds having catamarans between Dover and Ostend and Newhaven and Dieppe. However, the number of passengers remained on all compounds significantly below expectations, especially on the main route from Dover to Calais. Many passengers now chose the connection through the euro tunnel which, although slower than the Hovercraftverbindung, but faster than the catamarans. The competitors SeaFrance and P & O recruited from the shipping company with its, though slower but cheaper, compounds passengers. There were repeated technical defects that led to Fährausfällen, including 2003, a serious fire in the engine room of the catamaran Rapide.

2004 and 2005, the cruise line pulled from the compounds to Oostende and back Dieppe. On 7 November 2005 Hoverspeed hired the ferry service between Dover and Calais, and gave the insolvency of the company.

Fleet

Hovercraft

  • SRN4 Swift Mk II ( 1969-1991, from 1994 at the Hovercraftmuseum Lee-on -Solent, 2004 scrapped )
  • SRN4 Mk II Sure ( 1969-1983, 1983 scrapped )
  • SRN4 Mk II Sir Christopher ( 1972-1991, 1998 scrapped )
  • SRN4 Mk II The Prince of Wales ( 1977-1991, 1993 scrapped )
  • SRN4 Mk III The Princess Margaret ( 1968-2000, 2005 -present sold in Hovercraftmuseum Lee-on -Solent )
  • SRN4 Mk III The Princess Anne ( 1969-2000, 2005 -present sold in Hovercraftmuseum Lee-on -Solent )
  • SEDAM N500 engineer Jean Bertin (1978-1983, 1985 scrapped )

Catamarans

  • Hoverspeed Great Britain (1990-2004)
  • Seacat France (1990-2004, and 2002 as Seacat Tasmania, Seacat Calais and Atlantic II)
  • Seacat Denmark (1991-2004, and 1995 as Hoverspeed Belgium, Hoverspeed Boulogne and SeaCatamaran Denmark)
  • Seacat Rapide (1997-2005)
  • Seacat Diamant (1997-2005)
  • SuperSeaCat One (1997-2005)
  • SuperSeaCat Two (1997-2005)
  • SuperSeaCat Three (1999-2003)
SR.N4 Newhaven, East Sussex
400483
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