Ally

Le Havre, France (Thomson Financial) - Louis Dreyfus Armateurs (LDA) said it hopes to raise the number of p***engers on the Le Havre to Portsmouth cross-channel ferry route to 300,000 a year in the medium term, compared with the 130,000 it transported in the first half of 2007.

LDA has just ordered a roll-on/roll-off ferry from Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd and taken out an option for a second to support the route.

The target figure is well below the 700,000-800,000 p***engers carried in the early 1990s when Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation (P&O) operated the route, but LDA chief Pierre Gehanne said this was natural now the channel tunnel is open and duty-free goods are no longer sold on ferries.