PASSENGER services between the Port of Dover and Boulogne will cease on September 5, it emerged this week.

The decision by LD Lines to scrap the link came after weeks of speculation following the revelation that its two ships on the route, Norman Bridge and Norman Trader, were being marketed by a Copenhagen-based ship broker.

Launched to great fanfare in February 2009, the service between the ports has regularly been tinkered with by the French company, with different ships coming and going during the last 18 months.

But the enterprise has struggled for profitability, hit by the recession and strong competition for freight business from rival operators and the Channel Tunnel.

Announcing the decision to end passenger services on Monday, managing director Christophe Santoni expressed regret but confirmed the company is considering maintaining a service for unaccompanied freight, where lorry trailers are shipped without a driver.

He said: "While we are disappointed to have to announce the ending of a tourist passenger service between Dover and Boulogne, as the addition of a second ship has not generated the extra traffic volumes we had hoped for, we will continue to explore every option to try and maintain some form of ferry service to Boulogne.

"A return to profitability can only be achieved for the ferry industry by adjusting supply to demand, increasing prices and market consolidation.

"While there remains huge overcapacity on the Dover Strait, we are addressing this issue now by looking to see if such a revamped service is economically sustainable, despite a continually difficult trading climate."

This is all a far cry from the mood when M Santoni spoke to Dockside on board the first sailing from Dover to Boulogne in 2009.

Then, full of optimism for the new link, he said: "We are very confident about our future in Dover. We feel this is the missing piece of our puzzle."

At this stage, the company will not speculate on the impact of the decision on jobs, insisting nothing can be certain until an announcement is made on future freight-only operations. A decision on the future of the route is expected in the coming weeks.

Boulogne Chamber of Commerce, which is also the Port of Boulogne authority, reacted with disappointment to the news and acknowledged how tough times are on the Dover Strait.

A spokesman said: "The entire cross-Channel market continues to be a very difficult trading environment, affecting all Dover Strait ferry operators.

"However, the Chamber of Commerce will remain resolute and totally focused on marketing and promoting the unique facilities of the Port of Boulogne to attract new operators."