Sean Cornwell Direct Ferries CEO said “We were delighted to host so many of our key partners in one place to celebrate the ferry industry and to showcase Direct ferries commitment to our partners and the wider ferry industry.

Sean used his keynote address to highlight the once in a generation opportunity the ferry industry has, to position itself as a greener alternative to air travel. He said “We are in a climate emergency and there is a group of travellers that are now looking for more environmentally friendly ways to travel and ferries have a unique opportunity to attract these customers.

He went on to say “To show our commitment, we have partnered with Climate Perks, a charitable initiative asking employers to offer employees paid journey days if they travel by rail or sail, rather than fly.”

The awards were based around customer experience, strength and quality of the technical integration and API offered and growth on the Direct Ferries platform. The Operator of the Year Award, won by Fred Olsen Express, represents outstanding performance and strength across all of those categories.

The winners were:
• Operator of the Year| Fred Olsen Express
• Fastest Growing operator >30,000 passengers| Seajets
• Fastest Growing operator <30,000 passengers| Interislander
• Fastest Growing operator, On board less than 24 months| 2Go Travel
• Best overall customer experience (voted by Direct Ferries Customers) – Color Line
• Best Operator Technology| Brittany Ferries
• Highest Customer rated vessel| Megastar, Tallink Silja