Channel Ferry Company Registers Ships Under Cyprus Flag Due to Brexit Uncertainty

   January 26, 2019 ,   Cruise Industry

A major ferry company operating Channel crossings between UK and France is now re-registering / reflagging its vessels under flag-state Cyprus due to Brexit uncertainties.

Deputy Minister of Shipping Natasa Pilidou revealed that P&O Ferries, which operates 6 ferries for routes between Dover and Calais, notified Cypriot authorities of its plan to register them under Cyprus flag. Two P&O Ferries ships (Spirit of France and Spirit of Britain) are already registered in Cyprus. The other 4 will be reflagged in the coming days.

Spirit of France ferry

P&O Ferries announced that in advance of Britain leaving the European Union, it is reviewing the flag status of its vessels as "a means of continuing to benefit from tax arrangements of EU states."

In a statement, it said that for operational and accounting reasons, they had concluded that the best course of action was "to re-flag all ships to be under the Cyprus flag."

Cyprus has 60 more ferries that are operating in European ports under its flag.

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