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Brittany Ferries steps-in on Rosslare Cherbourg, offering more sailings and greater choice
Daily departures from Rosslare boosts offer to Irish freight and logistics companies
▪ Rosslare-Cherbourg passenger market soars & freight market doubles in a year
▪ Rosslare Europort now links with new Ro-Ro-Rail terminal in Cherbourg
Brittany Ferries has confirmed it will step in to fill the gap left by a competitor’s withdrawal from the Rosslare Cherbourg ferry route. The company, which is based in Cork and Rosslare, will increase both capacity and frequency of sailings departing Rosslare Europort from the end of September. Departures will rise from five to seven every week. This means a daily Brittany Ferries departure from Rosslare Europort, starting October 2025.
The move includes a new Tuesday evening departure at 21:00, with additional sailings to be phased in as part of a broader strengthening of the route. Full schedules will be published shortly, after T’s have been crossed and I’s dotted. In the meantime, Brittany Ferries says it is ready to boost business continuity for Irish hauliers - and to offer more choice to holidaymakers.
It also reflects the close partnership of Brittany Ferries with Rosslare Europort, as well as the Port of Cherbourg. The company says long-term investment will strengthen trade links between Ireland and France, while offering modern ships, comfort, and a dependable alternative to air travel for passengers.
“Brittany Ferries is a company that prides itself on its ability to move quickly when opportunity knocks,” said Christophe Mathieu CEO Brittany Ferries. “News that our competitor was stepping back, started the firing pistol on a concerted efforted to secure port slots and better serve customers in Ireland and France. “I am delighted that we can confirm this increase in capacity on the Cherbourg Rosslare route and we thank Rosslare Europort and the Port of Cherbourg for their support. It means greater choice for holidaymakers and even more opportunity for freight operators seeking to by-pass the UK entirely, cutting down on bureaucracy and delays at the UK border. Our new train connection in Cherbourg only adds further strings to the multimodal bow.”
Christened Ro-Ro Rail, the company’s first train is a further development in its route network. It connects Ireland with the Iberian Peninsula via ferry and rail. The rail line links Cherbourg and Bayonne, carrying unaccompanied trailers over 600 miles of the French rail network. Fewer emissions, competitive rates, and no need for accompanying drivers are key benefits.
Glenn Carr, Director Commercial Business Units for Iarnród Éireann Irish Rail - Port Authority for Rosslare Europort – said: “We are delighted to further strengthen our partnership with Brittany Ferries and welcome their expansion to a daily service in each direction on the Rosslare to Cherbourg route. Since Brexit, direct sailings between Rosslare Europort and the European continent have increased six-fold, and our priority has been to ensure we maintain that capacity and choice for industry and tourism alike. There has been intense interest in additional Rosslare to Cherbourg sailings, and Brittany Ferries have demonstrated their can-do attitude by confirming this expansion with us so quickly, capitalising on the strength of the route for passenger and freight markets alike.”
Brittany Ferries launched a Rosslare to Cherbourg service in 2021. It was a post-Brexit response to demand from hauliers, to obviate the need to cross the UK-landbridge when moving freight between Ireland and France. Recently third, fourth and fifth weekly returnsailings had been added to the menu, as demand continued to rise – and not just from freight customers.
Passenger and freight figures show the seaborne connection is ripe for further development. Passenger volumes have soared nearly 40 per cent this year. Freight units have doubled.
The capacity boost is also good news for Brittany Ferries’ seafarers. Several ships - scheduled to be taken out of service over the winter - are now expected to serve the Rosslare-Cherbourg expansion. Galicia for example, one of five new ships that joined the Brittany Ferries fleet since 2020 will serve Rosslare-Cherbourg throughout the winter, rather than being tied up. Pont-Aven, the company’s flagship, will also continue to sail during part of the winter period, after the company initially planned to lay her over.
Philippe Deiss, spokesman Ports de Normandie added: "As soon as the announcement was made at the end of June that berthing slots would be freed up in Cherbourg and Rosslare, Ports de Normandie and Cherbourg Port took action to fill the gaps, because it is essential to retain our customers by offering them a regular and continuous service.
In this process, we felt it was essential to maintain the balance between Dublin and Rosslare and to continue offering mixed RoRo/Pax services. We are delighted that both sides of the Channel have chosen the proposal put forward by Brittany Ferries, a company with which we have a long-standing relationship and whose quality of service is universally recognised. With this joint decision by the ports of Rosslare and Cherbourg and Brittany Ferries, we are confident that traffic to Ireland, where Cherbourg is the leader in France, will continue to grow."
Jean-Marc Roué Brittany Ferries’ president concluded: "It is a great satisfaction, as a representative of the majority farmer shareholders to see the trust that the ports of Rosslare and Cherbourg have placed in us today. I cannot think that this decision is not to be associated with the quality of service offered by our crews and shore staff and I salute their constant investment in making our company an exception on the Channel for more than 50 years. “Since its creation, Brittany Ferries has placed Ireland and the UK at the heart of its development and today it is a real consecration of the link that unites us, ever stronger, with the Normandy Region, as it has always been with the Brittany Region.”
