#FerryÉconomie - Brittany Ferries are to expand their fleet and offer more no-frills 'économie' UK sailings to Le Havre and Bilbao with the launch in May of chartered ro-pax Baie de Seine, writes Jehan Ashmore.

Baie de Seine was the former Sirena Seaways which operated the final ferry link between the UK and Scandinavia until closed last year by DFDS Seaways on their Harwich-Esbjerg (Denmark) route.

The closure of the historic North Sea route will see the ro-pax operate for Brittany Ferries économie brand in which Etretat launched almost a year ago.

The second ro-pax to join Brittany Ferries 'no-frill's operations, Baie de Seine will serve Portsmouth-Le Havre route (four times a week) and Portsmouth-Bilbao route (once a week).

One of the core reasons for the closure of the North Sea route given by DFDS was the inability to sustain added costs accrued to the new EU Directive on Sulphur Emissions which came into effect at the start of 2015.

For her new role scrubbers are to be fitted to Baie de Seine so to enable her to burn low cost heavy fuel oil yet comply with new low sulphur emissions regulations.

The Brittany Ferries économie brand services are aimed to customers wishing to travel to France or Spain at what the company claim to be 'very reasonable fares' without the cruise-style experience normally provided by the operator.

Baie de Seine is certified to carry 610 passengers but the operator will reduce numbers to well below this capacity on the ro-pax which has limited facilities and space.

She is to join the second économie-branded ship, Etretat, which as alluded above launched the service last year during March. Prior to that the Visentini ro-pax served LD Lines Irish and UK services in addition to those of Celtic Link Ferries.

Mike Bevens, Group Commercial Director, comments: "We have been really pleased with the demand for our new no-frills service so this additional ship will provide a welcome boost in capacity and provide our customers with an even wider range of sailing times. Furthermore, it now brings the total number of services to Spain to seven a week, again providing more choice."

Customers can mix and match économie sailings with the company's other cruiseferry services to Normandy (to include fast-ferry on the Portsmouth-Cherbourg/lLe Havre), Brittany and northern Spain. In addition to the fexibility of travelling out by one route and returning by another. 

#Ferryéconomie – Brittany Ferries launch their "économie" alternative services to France and Spain with the ro-pax vessel Etretat, which welcomed her first passengers on board today for a midday sailing from Portsmouth to Le Havre, writes Jehan Ashmore.

As previously reported, the économie services are marketed as an alternative to sailing on the company's other cruiseferry style UK-Spain operated route to Bilbao. The move to 'no frills' service is similar to Irish Ferries  'economy-style' Dublin-Cherbourg service that the Epsilon serves on as a third route option to the established French routes from Rosslare served by the cruiseferry Oscar Wilde.

The former Norman Voyager was renamed Etretat, which is a coastal village in Normandy made famous for its stunning sea cliffs and dramatic chalk arches. Facilities on the ro-pax which is chartered from Stena RoRo, are limited compared to Brittany Ferries' cruise ferries, but still include a self-service restaurant, bar, small boutique and movie lounge as well as free Wi-Fi internet access.

Norman Voyager first launched LD Lines short-lived Rosslare-Le Harve service in 2008 and then she had a career with Celtic Link Ferries but running instead to Cherbourg. Also in 2008 the route to Ireland which was only run at weekends as her mainstay route was Le Havre-Portsmouth which LD Lines still maintain despite her recent switch to Brittany Ferries. LD Lines continue to operate their service by the Seven Sisters, a vessel from a sister company, Transmanche Ferries.

#Ferryéconomie-French operator, Brittany Ferries is to launch a "économie" alternative service to existing cruise-style operated UK-France/Spain routes using a former Celtic Link Ferries ro-pax vessel, writes Jehan Ashmore.

LD Lines which in January launched the new Rosslare-St.Nazaire-Gijon landbridge service to Spain and they also operate the Portsmouth-Le Harve route served by the Visentini built ro-pax vessel, Norman Voyager. She was chartered to Celtic Link Ferries until replaced in 2011 by another ro-pax of the same design, Celtic Horizon.

The Norman Voyager will be chartered by Brittany Ferries from late March and renamed Etretat but will continue operating the French route which Brittany Ferries also launched last year. In addition, Etretat will boost capacity at weekends on Portsmouth-Santander route also served by Cap Finistere and Brittany Ferries luxurious flagship Pont-Aven (also Cork-Roscoff, season starts on 14 March) 

Branding of the no-frills alternative service as Brittany Ferries économie, is designed to those wishing to travel from the UK to France or Spain at a more reasonable fare without experiencing cruiseferry style services normally associated with the operator. As previously reported on Afloat.ie, these sailings take on direct competition to new LD Lines UK-Spain routes from Poole to Santander and Gijon launched earlier this year.

The move is similar to Irish Ferries new 'economy-style' Dublin-Cherbourg service where Cartour Epsilon also operates two routes, the other been to Holyhead. The Dublin-Cherbourg route is a third route option to the established French routes from Rosslare served by cruiseferry Oscar Wilde.

The Brittany Ferries économie services are marketed also as an alternative to sailing on the company's other cruiseferry UK-Spain route to Bilbao, which as previously reported saw P&O Ferries close having chartered Irish Continental Group's Pride of Bilbao currently serving in the Baltic for St. Peter Line.

Likewise, Brittany Ferries former UK-French/Spain freight-ferry Cotentin, is also Baltic-based as she is on charter to Stena Line's Sweden-Poland service as Stena Baltica. The introduction of Etretat will make-up partially the reduced freight capacity removed from these routes.