Stena Line is “evaluating operations” in all regions as it announces job cuts in Sweden in response to a sharp drop in bookings.
The ferry firm – which runs routes between Holyhead and Dublin port – plans 950 redundancies as it halts some of its Baltic Sea services.
The planned job redundancies concern positions onboard and offshore, on nine Swedish flagged vessels.
Services and jobs are not currently impacted in the UK and Ireland but Stena said it does not rule out further reductions – with all regions being looked at.
Recent weeks has actually seen an increase in freight trade from Holyhead to Dublin due to stockpiling by concerned shoppers.
A spokesman said: “Stena Line is currently evaluating its overall operations in all regions due to the sharp decline in travel bookings and does not rule out that there will be further reductions or series of changes to its timetables and/or the route network.”
A source said that currently jobs and services on the routes between Dublin and the UK are not impacted by the cuts.
A spokesman added: “Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) and travel restrictions imposed by several countries, Stena Line has, like many other companies within the travel industry, seen a drastic decline in travel bookings.
“The effect has been the worst in Scandinavia and recent those days passenger traffic to Sweden, Denmark, Poland, Germany, and Latvia has been stopped to a large extent.
“At present, it is estimated that passenger operations will not recover before the peak season in summer.”
Niclas Mårtensson, CEO of Stena Line, said: “Due to the current situation we are facing, we have no choice but to adjust our operations and our costs to limit the drop in demand and secure the continuity of our freight operations.”
