An English Channel ferry of Brittany Ferries, which has sailed from the Dorset coast for more than 30 years, is set to make its final crossing on its route to Normandy, France.
As BBC News reports, the Breton-based company’s Barfleur is scheduled on Monday to depart Poole, bound for Cherbourg at 08:30 BST.
To mark the occasion, a flotilla of small boats is to potentially accompany (the 22,033-ton ferry), according to the Poole Harbour Commissioners. The port authority (see related story) said an exclusion zone would be in place surrounding the ship, and any small vessels should exercise "extreme caution."
Earlier this year, Brittany Ferries announced it would end the Dorset-Normandy route as well as Portsmouth-Le Havre (but this closed prematurely). The restructuring, the company cited rising taxes, Covid loan repayments, declining passenger numbers, and unfair competition from further eastward along the channel.
Barfleur is named after the small fishing port in Normandy, which entered service originally for operator Truckline Ferries (a freight division) on the short sea route in April 1992.
Both Barfluer and the ropax Cotentin, as previously reported, are also to be sold as part of the company’s cost-cutting plans to cope with those financial challenges.
So on this Sunday, Barfleur is due to arrive on its last sailing from Normandy at 21:45 (French time).
More on the developments here.
