A Brittany Ferries English Channel route linking Normandy is to be shut down earlier than planned following a technical problem with a ropax, reports BBC News.
The final sailing of the 1992-built Barfleur between Poole and Cherbourg was scheduled for 2 November; however, the operator said the ship would now be relocated to the route between Cherbourg and Rosslare Europort on 12 October.
The Breton-based company said the service between France and Ireland was "strategically significant" post-Brexit.
Travellers with existing bookings can transfer to other English Channel routes or get a full refund. The move comes after the planned ending of the company’s route between Portsmouth and Le Havre was also brought forward, having been served by Commodore Clipper, which Afloat highlights was a long-running UK-Channel Islands ferry when run by its Guernsey-based predecessor, Condor Ferries.
Amid rising costs and restructuring, Brittany Ferries is selling the current ropax on the Cherbourg-Rosslare route, Cotentin, named after the peninsula from which it operates. The company said its alternative backup, Commodore Clipper, had suffered a gearbox failure, which meant it had been temporarily withdrawn from the Portsmouth-Le Havre service.
Commenting on the decision to withdraw early from the Normandy-Dorset link, Christophe Mathieu, CEO of Brittany Ferries, apologised for the "disappointment" caused to passengers using the Poole-Cherbourg service.
"The reality is that, post Brexit, Rosslare-Cherbourg has a strategically significant route for Brittany Ferries, carrying nearly 25% of all freight traffic, so we must prioritise," he said.
He added, "It has been a privilege to serve the Poole-Cherbourg route since 1986. But we should be clear that we will still sail to Guernsey and on to France in our fast craft from Poole, even if we must say an early adieu to a much-loved vessel and direct services from Poole to Cherbourg."
Among those hoping to travel were several ferry enthusiasts who planned to be on the final Poole crossing to Cherbourg aboard Barfluer, which Afloat highlights is a conventional fossil fuel-powered ropax.
More here on the story as the financially pressed company faces a bill of €27m in 2026, which it blames on new EU carbon tax costs, Covid loan repayments, unfair competition, and decreasing travellers.
