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Eurotunnel’s Channel ferry gets green light

A British appeals court on Friday said Eurotunnel could continue running ferry service MyFerryLink.

Eurotunnel's Channel ferry gets green light
The MyFerryLink vessels have been given the go-ahead to continue plying the channel. Photo: Philippe Huguen/AFP

The ruling overturns a ban on the Channel Tunnel operator's Dover to Calais ferries which had been imposed by Britain's anti-monopoly regulator.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said in a statement it would “study the judgment carefully and consider its next steps”, while MyFerryLink hailed the ruling as “a momentous victory”.

The CMA last year ordered Eurotunnel, which operates the undersea Channel rail tunnel between France and England, to stop running its ferry service on grounds of unfair competition.

The MyFerryLink brand came into existence after Eurotunnel in 2012 acquired the three ferries and related assets of SeaFrance.

The ruling said that the CMA was not legally competent in the case as there had not been a formal merger between Eurotunnel and MyFerryLink.

MyFerryLink, which employs some 533 people in France and 71 in Britain, operates up to 24 daily crossings between Dover and Calais.

TRAVEL NEWS

Travel in Europe: UK to scrap all Covid travel rules

The UK is set to scrap all Covid-19 travel restrictions in what the government described as a "landmark moment".

Travel in Europe: UK to scrap all Covid travel rules

Testing is no longer required for vaccinated travellers, but the UK government has announced that it will scrap all Covid-19 travel rules on Friday, March 18th.

“As one of the first major economies to remove all its remaining Covid-19 travel restrictions, this is a landmark moment for passengers and the travel and aviation sector,” said the Government in a press release. 

From 4am on March 18th:

  • Passengers going to the UK will no longer be required to fill out a Passenger Locator Form before travel;
  • Passengers who are not vaccinated will not be required to take a pre-departure Covid test, or a Day 2 test following arrival. Fully vaccinated travellers are already exempt from having to do this;
  • Hotel quarantine for travellers coming from ‘red list’ countries, of which there are currently none, will also be scrapped by the end of the month. 

“We will continue monitoring and tracking potential new variants, and keep a reserve of measures which can be rapidly deployed if needed to keep us safe,” said UK Health Minister Sajid Javid. 

The UK has lifted all Covid-related rules including mask rules and mandatory self-isolation if you test positive for Covid.

Some European countries still have Covid restrictions in place for unvaccinated people coming from the UK. 

Until March 18th

Until the new rules come into effect, all travellers are required to fill out a passenger locator form. 

Unvaccinated travellers are also required to take pre-departure test and a test on or before Day 2 following their arrival. 

The UK border officers will recognise proof of vaccination provided with an EU Covid Certificate.

For the UK “fully vaccinated” means 14 days after your final dose of a EMA/FDA or Swiss approved vaccine (Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson). 

After a period of confusion, the UK government says that it will accept mixed doses administered in the EU (eg one dose of AstraZeneca and one of Pfizer).

However people who have only had a single dose after previously recovering from Covid – which is standard practice in some European countries – are not accepted as vaccinated by the UK.

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