Menu

Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Brittany Ferries to Introduce 'Passenger' Service on Rosslare-Le Havre Route in 2023

20th December 2022
The Rosslare-Le Havre route was a originally freight-only route, however Brittany Ferries are to introduce a 'passenger' service in March, 2023. The route is served by  Contentin built by STX Finland in 2007 for their UK-Spain 'freight' services and in 2021 launched for several months a Brexit-bypass network of routes between Ireland and France. The last time the Rosslare-Le Havre route was operated, AFLOAT adds involved another French ferry firm, LD Lines which began a service in 2008.
The Rosslare-Le Havre route was a originally freight-only route, however Brittany Ferries are to introduce a 'passenger' service in March, 2023. The route is served by Contentin built by STX Finland in 2007 for their UK-Spain 'freight' services and in 2021 launched for several months a Brexit-bypass network of routes between Ireland and France. The last time the Rosslare-Le Havre route was operated, AFLOAT adds involved another French ferry firm, LD Lines which began a service in 2008. Credit: Brittany Ferries

Brittany Ferries has today confirmed that it will re-open its Rosslare-Le Havre service and for 'passengers' on the Ireland-France link.

As Afloat reported the route has been run in freight-only mode, since the Covid crisis struck. As of today, 20th December, passenger tickets have gone on sale, for journeys taking place from early March 2023. 

Passengers will travel on Brittany Ferries ropax Cotentin which has space for up to 114 passengers in well-appointed cabins. Cotentin hosts a self-service restaurant, bar and small shop. Up to 30 dogs can be accommodated on the route (travelling in vehicle).

“This is great news for travellers in Ireland and for Rosslare,” said Hugh Bruton, General Manager of Brittany Ferries in Ireland. “Once again, Brittany Ferries will connect travellers with three destinations in France and one in Spain - offering a variety of options and choice.”

“Le Havre is a fantastic destination in itself. It’s a Unesco World Heritage Site renowned for the towering St Joseph’s Church, famous gardens and a fantastic beach, which is one of its best kept secrets. But Le Havre is also gateway to the Seine Maritime region and the many treasures this area holds, such as the famous arch of Etretat.”

As well as Rosslare Europort– Le Havre, the ferry will carry passengers on the English Channel route of Le-Havre-Portsmouth. The ship's schedule includes one round-trip to each destination:

Friday

Le Havre-Rosslare : departure 19h00 – Arrival 14h30

Saturday

Rosslare-Le Havre : departure 17h45 – Arrival15h00

Sunday and Thursday

Le Havre – Portsmouth : departure 17h30 – Arrival 22h00

Portsmouth - Le Havre : departure 23h30 - Arriva 08h30

Published in Brittany Ferries
Jehan Ashmore

About The Author

Jehan Ashmore

Email The Author

Jehan Ashmore is a marine correspondent, researcher and photographer, specialising in Irish ports, shipping and the ferry sector serving the UK and directly to mainland Europe. Jehan also occasionally writes a column, 'Maritime' Dalkey for the (Dalkey Community Council Newsletter) in addition to contributing to UK marine periodicals. 

We've got a favour to ask

More people are reading Afloat.ie than ever thanks to the power of the internet but we're in stormy seas because advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. Unlike many news sites, we haven’t put up a paywall because we want to keep our marine journalism open.

Afloat.ie is Ireland's only full–time marine journalism team and it takes time, money and hard work to produce our content.

So you can see why we need to ask for your help.

If everyone chipped in, we can enhance our coverage and our future would be more secure. You can help us through a small donation. Thank you.

Direct Donation to Afloat button

About Brittany Ferries

In 1967 a farmer from Finistère in Brittany, Alexis Gourvennec, succeeded in bringing together a variety of organisations from the region to embark on an ambitious project: the aim was to open up the region, to improve its infrastructure and to enrich its people by turning to traditional partners such as Ireland and the UK. In 1972 BAI (Brittany-England-Ireland) was born.

The first cross-Channel link was inaugurated in January 1973, when a converted Israeli tank-carrier called Kerisnel left the port of Roscoff for Plymouth carrying trucks loaded with Breton vegetables such as cauliflowers and artichokes. The story, therefore, begins on 2 January 1973, 24 hours after Great Britain's entry into the Common Market (EEC).

From these humble beginnings however, Brittany Ferries as the company was re-named quickly opened up to passenger transport, then became a tour operator.

Today, Brittany Ferries has established itself as the national leader in French maritime transport: an atypical leader, under private ownership, still owned by a Breton agricultural cooperative.

Eighty five percent of the company’s passengers are British.

Key Brittany Ferries figures:

  • Turnover: €202.4 million (compared with €469m in 2019)
  • Investment in three new ships, Galicia plus two new vessels powered by cleaner LNG (liquefied natural gas) arriving in 2022 and 2023
  • Employment: 2,474 seafarers and shore staff (average high/low season)
  • Passengers: 752,102 in 2020 (compared with 2,498,354 in 2019)
  • Freight: 160,377 in 2020 (compared with 201,554 in 2019)
  • Twelve ships operating services that connect France, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Spain (non-Covid year) across 14 routes
  • Twelve ports in total: Bilbao, Santander, Portsmouth, Poole, Plymouth, Cork, Rosslare, Caen, Cherbourg, Le Havre, Saint-Malo, Roscoff
  • Tourism in Europe: 231,000 unique visitors, staying 2.6 million bed-nights in France in 2020 (compared with 857,000 unique visitors, staying 8,7 million bed-nights in 2019).