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Brittany Ferries launches Le Havre-Rosslare route

[ November 4, 2021   //   ]

Brittany Ferries has added a new weekly Le Havre-Rosslare service to its Cherbourg–Rosslare introduced in early 2020
The new route will be served by the freight-only Cotentin from 12 November and will depart the French port ay 19.00 on Friday evenings, arriving in Rosslare on Saturday afternoon. The return leg will depart Rosslare at 17.45 on Saturday evening, arriving in Le Havre on Sunday at 15:00.
Brittany said the move followed a significant increase in demand for direct freight links between Ireland with France. Since the beginning of September it has reported a 76% increase in weekly freight carried, compared with the first eight months of the year.
“Thanks to flexibility in our fleet and agility in our operations, we have been able to move quickly to meet growing demand,” said Christophe Mathieu, Brittany Ferries chief executive officer. “Brexit has delivered more headaches than opportunities, particularly on routes serving the UK and France. However, the so-called Brexit by-pass, where freight operations avoid the UK completely, is one area that has worked to our advantage.”
Cotentin re-joined the Brittany Ferries fleet in January 2021. Built in 2007, she is 165 metres long with space for 120 freight units. She features 120 cabins and a range of amenities for drivers including a restaurant, bar and shop.
Brittany Ferries’ president Jean-Marc Roué, commented: “The red, white and blue of the French Tricolore must be flown on the routes to Ireland from Brittany and Normandy. And who better than Brittany Ferries, the largest employer of French seafarers, to display them proudly? This new route between Le Havre and Rosslare is an important step. The biggest French port should have its own freight link to Ireland.”
He added that he had no doubt that the imposition of control measures on the UK-Ireland landbridge at the beginning of 2022 will further strengthen this appetite for the sea alternative.
The operator says it has also seen a sharp rise in freight carried between Ireland and Spain.
The company is regularly carrying more than 1,000 freight units a month between Rosslare with Bilbao. In the first eight months of the year, demand rose 70% compared with 2020. Brittany introduced the route in 2018. It operates twice weekly in each direction.

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