MOTORWAYS OF THE SEA

The new MOTORWAYS OF THE SEA  scheme was created by the EU to promote the importance of sea transport and to improve port communications within the European Continent, the aim is to better access to European Markets and bring ease to our congested european road system, I have recently experienced the new Saint-Nazaire to Gijon service with LD LINES, the service was introduced late last year and it´s already a success, the ship I was travelling was the NORMAN BRIDGE the ship was loaded to full capacity with the route becoming fast a favourite from Spanish and Portuguese truck drivers, I was talking to some of my fellow passengers mainly french and they were delighted with the prospects this new service will bring, some were travelling with their cars to Galiza in Spain others to the Douro valley in Portugal. When we were approaching Gijon harbour the captain announced that this would be the ship´s last voyage not the end of the line fortunately but the NORMAN BRIDGE would be replaced by, we know now, the BALTIC AMBER a slightly bigger ship with better loading facilities and improved passenger facilities, the new ship was built in 2007, the NORMAN BRIDGE was built in Spain back in 1998, not an old ship by any means but too small with basic facilities and no stabilizers which could be a major setback when travelling the Bay of Biscay, so the replacement is essential for the development of this new route which I strongly trust would be a success in the near future. Included several pictures taking during my first and last trip on the NORMAN BRIDGE, the date the 15th of April 2011