Eurotunnel has put the last of its ferries up for sale after a Supreme Court ruling ended any hope it may run freight services across the Channel.

The Nord-Pas-de-Calais will be sold after a judgement today upheld a ban on the Channel Tunnel operator running ferry services, backing an earlier ruling by the Competition and Markets Authority.

The body ordered Eurotunnel to sell three former SeaFrance ships it acquired in 2012, saying the move broke monopoly rules, giving it too large a share of the cross-Channel market.

It forced Eurotunnel to close its MyFerryLink services in June.

In September it leased two ships, Berlioz and Rodin, to rival operator DFDS.

A subsequent long-running court battle was brought to an end today as the court threw out a ruling in favour of French ferry workers union the SCOP, which had said the competition authority should not have got involved in the case.

Eurotunnel said it was “extremely disappointed” by the decision, saying it could have supported 130 jobs if it was allowed to run its vessel as a freight-only carrier.

It had expressed an interest in running the ship following a summer of discontent caused by 32 days of Operation Stack, saying it could help alleviate pressure on Kent’s roads when the Channel Tunnel is shut.

The Competition and Markets Authority said the decision gave clarity on the law and said it would “seek to work constructively with Eurotunnel and DFDS in order to determine the appropriate next steps”.