Seaborne Freight: The No-Deal Brexit Ferry Firm Is Finally Hiring Staff

The company given a multi-million pound contract to run no-deal Brexit ferries despite having no ships is finally hiring staff.

Seaborne Freight is advertising for a stevedore and an operations assistant – apparently the first two vacancies to appear on the firm’s recruitment page despite Brexit being just two months away.

Earlier this month, transport secretary Chris Grayling faced a wave of criticism for handing the firm a £13.8m contract to run ferry services between Ramsgate and Ostend in Belgium to ease pressure on the Dover-Calais route.

Critics pointed out Seaborne had no ships, no staff, no contracts with either Ramsgate or Ostend authorities, and embarrassingly had appeared to copy the terms and conditions on its website from a takeaway delivery outlet.

Ostend mayor Bart Tommelein has also said it would be “impossible” for his city to be ready for a ferry service in time for Brexit day on March 29.

But the firm is now advertising online for two key Ramsgate-based roles, including a stevedore whose main duties will be mooring vessels, tugmaster driving, loading and unloading vehicles onto ferries, and traffic marshalling.

Prospective applicants will need mooring and tugmaster experience, an HGV1 licence and a forklift licence.

The operations assistant will meanwhile welcome truck drivers when they check-in, help load and unload vehicles on to ships and identify those carrying hazardous goods, among other duties.

Applicants will need to have a “reasonable level of numeracy and literacy”, be IT literate and customer focused.