Friday 9th January saw the Competition Appeals Tribunal (CAT) announce that the original ruling stating that Groupe Eurotunnel could not also operate a ferry company was the correct one. After the decision MyFerryLink was placed on the market as a going concern. Both DFDS Seaways and P&O Ferries stated that the outcome was the right one as, with the Eurotunnel and MyFerryLink operations, Groupe Eurotunnel commanded over 60% of the market share for crossing between Dover and Calais.

Groupe Eurotunnel insisted that it subcontracts the operation of its ferries to the SCOP SeaFrance, and the SCOP had given notice that it intends to appeal the CAT’s decision. A fire in the Channel Tunnel a week later caused Operation Stack to be employed on the M20 with tailbacks stretching over 20 miles. The situation prompted Groupe Eurotunnel to argue the case for the existence of MyFerryLink to cope with the extra demand on the ferry crossings but no operator can maintain spare ships for use in the event of problems without going bankrupt in the process.

The refit season meant that the Dover ferry fleets were not at full strength at the time of the disruption.

MyFerryLink then announced its unaudited revenues for 2014 reached €93 million (£71.3m) in its third year of operating, up 25% on the previous year. The number of trucks using the carrier last year increased 22% to 399,453, with cars up 7% to 337,654 and coaches up 135% to 265. Eurotunnel anticipates that within five to 10 years, there will be an extra million trucks coming through the Port of Dover and the Channel Tunnel, an increase of a third.

At a court hearing on 6th February MyFerryLink won permission from the Court of Appeal to take its fight against the Competition and Markets Authority’s attempted prohibition remedy to the appeal Court. This now gives MyFerryLink the opportunity to overturn the earlier decision of the Competition Appeal Tribunal which sought to uphold the CMA’s remittal decision of 27th June 2014, in which the CMA concluded that it did have jurisdiction to review the transaction and sought to ban Groupe Eurotunnel from operating ferry services to and from the port of Dover.