French buy Newhaven
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• A French local authority has agreed to buy the port of Newhaven in East Sussex in a bid to safeguard haulage jobs.
Seine-Maritime, an authority in upper Normandy, is close to signing a deal worth at least £10m with the port's present owner. Seacantainers.
It intends to revitalise the near-defunct Newhaven-Oieppe ferry service and invest a further £10m to reconstruct the obsolete harbour facilities at the Sussex port.
The year-round ferry service was axed by
P&O in January 1999, leaving only a seasonal SeaCat catamaran running between April and October.
Andy Wells, commercial manager at French haulage firm Ciraud's Newhaven office, says: "Plainly, having a direct link for freight transport can only be a good thing. It's the shortest route between London and Paris—you can save yourself at least 50 miles, which is a clear financial saving."
An announcement on the deal is expected before Christmas.