French fishermen suspended their blockade at two English Channel ports Thursday, allowing ferry traffic and freight to move through, a ferry operator said.
The fishermen lifted the blockade at Calais and Dunkirk, a spokeswoman for P&O Ferries told CNN, but the blockade remained in place at Boulogne, French media reported. The fishermen began their blockade of the three ports Tuesday to protest European Union fishing quotas, which they say threaten their livelihoods. The flotillas forced a halt to all cross-Channel traffic, including passenger ferries and freighters, stranding tourists on both sides of the waterway and causing a backlog of freight trucks. P&O, the largest ferry operator on the Channel, said it had resumed running normal services to Calais. “It is our hope that we’ll be able to continue doing that throughout the day,” spokeswoman Michelle Ulyatt said, adding that fishermen were expected to issue a further update on their plans at mid-day. Another ferry operator, Norfolkline, said it expected the blockade to be reinstated Thursday. “Norfolkline and other ferry operators have been caught up in an argument between the fishermen and the French government, which has resulted in considerable inconvenience and disruption to all cross-Channel freight and tourist operators,” the company said in a statement. LD Ferries, which operates services to Boulogne, said it had canceled four sailings Thursday as a result of the dispute. “We do not yet have any information on whether any of our services will be affected beyond April 16,” the company said in a statement. Seafrance, the fourth ferry operator in the English Channel, could not be reached for comment Thursday. French fishermen held four hours of talks with Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Michel Barnier in Paris on Wednesday, the French news agency Agence France-Press reported. Barnier offered the local industry 4 million euros ($5.3 million) in aid, but refused to budge on the fishermen’s key demand that the European Union increase fishing quotas, AFP reported. Both France and the European Union have ruled out any renegotiation, pointing out that French cod quotas have already been raised 30 percent since 2008, AFP said.
