Eurotunnel has accused the UK of anti-competitive behaviour over the awarding of contracts to three ferry players in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
The Guardian cited a letter from Eurotunnel parent Getlink's chief executive Jacques Gounon to UK transport secretary Chris Grayling as saying the contracts may have been illegally awarded.
“It is with serious concern that we have read in this weekend’s press details of agreements between HMG [Her Majesty’s government] and certain ferry operators up to £107m to provide additional capacity to be sold into the market even if a deal is reached,” he wrote.
“I must bring to your attention the distortionary and anti-competitive effects of such an action, which would be a unilateral breach not only of the concession agreement with Eurotunnel, but more widely of existing competition and state aid law.”
Gounon said Eurotunnel has been working on contingency options like extra freight trains.
In the letter he said the company “remains prepared to deliver additional capacity under equivalent contracts to those you have signed with ferry operators.”
Seaborne, which is in the process of chartering ships, will get £13.8m ($17.6m) to operate from Ramsgate.
France’s Brittany Ferries will receive £46.6m to add more services in the western Channel and Denmark’s DFDS £42.5m to expand to the east.
