Tag Archives: cars

Holiday Autos to close trade business

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Holiday Autos to close trade business

By Chloe Berman

Holiday Autos to close trade businessLastminute.com parent company Travelocity Global is to close the global trade arm of Holiday Autos after the brand was sold to Cartrawler.

The trade business was not part of the deal, which only included the brand name, assets and white label business of the car hire firm.

Travel Weekly understands the move will lead to a substantial number of redundancies, but most will occur in Germany where the company employs around 200 people and has a strong trade presence.

The company said in a statement: “Following consultation with local representative bodies in each jurisdiction and after much consideration, the decision has been made to withdraw from the trade sector across all geographies.

“Holiday Autos is currently in the process of informing all partners as well as suppliers about this decision and is reviewing steps to be taken for bookings which depart after these dates.”

The UK business will continue to take bookings until August 31 for departures until October 31.

In the meantime, Holiday Autos said it would continue to provide customer support services as usual for existing bookings.

Customers who want to cancel their booking departing after that date can do so without a cancellation fee and will receive a refund.

Cruise ship runs aground in Scotland

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Cruise ship runs aground in Scotland

By Phil Davies

Cruise ship runs aground in ScotlandA small cruise ship ran aground in Oban Bay in Scotland yesterday evening.

The MS Serenissima, which was recently refurbished and is under charter to Noble Caledonia, is reported to have 112 people on board.

No-one was believed to have been injured in the incident.

The vessel was refloated in the early hours of this morning after it ran aground in Oban Bay. Divers will carry out underwater surveys of the vessel to ensure its seaworthiness.

An initial attempt to refloat the ship using its own engine, with a lifeboat pulling from astern, failed because of strong winds blowing the ship towards the shore.

High tide was not due until around midnight but it was hoped to tow the vessel off around 10.30pm.

An RNLI spokesman told the BBC last night: “The vessel is currently aground at the bow but still afloat at the stern.

“The initial attempt at refloating the ship used its own engine with the lifeboat providing assistance by pulling at the stern.

“Unfortunately this attempt was hampered by a strong wind blowing the ship towards the shore, and was unsuccessful.

“The lifeboat is now working with the crew of the ship to refloat it at a higher state of tide.”

The local Oban Times newspaper reported: “It would appear that the 87-metre MS Serenissima went the wrong way round a navigation buoy, as she encountered the MV Isle of Mull ferry, when she entered Oban Bay in Argyll from the north.”

The vessel was completing an 11-day ‘Great Gardens and Houses of Britain and Ireland” itinerary which left Poole on May 11.

The ship, which previously operated for Hurtigruten on Norwegian coastal voyages as the Harald Jarl, is scheduled to depart from Oban today (Tuesday) on a seven-night Hebridean cruise, according to Noble Caledonia’s 2013-14 Small Ship Cruising in Britain and Ireland brochure.