Airlines and industry bodies have warned of imminent kerosene shortages, service cancellations and significant price rises. Brittany Ferries, however, says this uncertainty should not concern those travelling by sea.?

Suppliers have guaranteed the free flow of all maritime fuels – Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), HFO (heavy fuel oil) and MGO (marine gas oil). Ferries departing Portsmouth, Poole or Plymouth to five destinations in France, two in northern Spain and Guernsey in the Channel Islands are guaranteed to run throughout the year.?

Secondly, Brittany Ferries has slammed competitors that have applied knee-jerk price rises in response to the crisis in the middle east. It says political uncertainty is already causing enough pain at the petrol pump for families and that this move by travel operators is both unnecessary and unwelcome.

Prudent airlines and ferry companies like Brittany Ferries “hedge” the vast majority of their fuel contracts. That means the price is set in advance, sometimes months. Fuel costs change little for the operator, regardless of fluctuations on the wholesale market.

But many others have gambled. Some companies did not play safe and hedge, crossing fingers and praying for a swift end to turmoil in the gulf. Prices soared and supplies have dwindled as a consequence. Now, like bad gamblers, they look to others to cover their losses.

“Today we make a clear promise to customers,” said Christophe Mathieu, CEO Brittany Ferries.  “Firstly, if you have booked with us, or are considering doing so, we will get you to a beautiful and safe holiday destination this year. Period.

“Secondly, we will play no part in profiteering or seeking to recover losses from a gamble gone wrong, as some appear to be doing. The cost of our holidays rose by inflation earlier this year, and by inflation alone. There will be no further rises in the weeks or months ahead. Conflict or other global uncertainty should not be used as the basis for knee-jerk price hikes: it is absolutely the unacceptable face of capitalism.”

In the last fortnight, Brittany Ferries has reported an increase of 37 per cent in reservations covering travel in July and August. The company says this shows that families are already abandoning the volatility of travel by air to the certainty of holidays by sea this summer.

© Shippax