Seized ferry returns to UK port

SpeedFerries went into administration following the action by French officials

A vessel that was at the centre of a wrangle between French officials and a Kent-based ferry firm over unpaid taxes and fees has returned to the UK.

Boulogne Chamber of Commerce, which is also the Boulogne Port Authority, seized SpeedFerries' ship 15 days ago.

The firm's SpeedOne catamaran has now been moved to Tilbury Docks in Essex.

SpeedFerries, which operated the vessel between Dover and Boulogne, announced that it was going into administration on 13 November.

The action by Boulogne Chamber of Commerce led to the suspension of the SpeedFerries Dover to Boulogne route.

Joint administrators Angela Swarbrick and Tom Burton of Ernst & Young LLP are currently trying to sell the business as a going concern.

SpeedFerries was set up in 2004 as a low-cost operator and has one route between Dover and the French port.