Brittany Ferries has confirmed it will step in to fill the gap left by Stena Line‘s withdrawal from the Rosslare-Cherbourg ferry route.
Stena Line announced its withdrawal – as of the end of September – from the Rosslare-Cherbourg route at the end of June – Stena Line Announces Plans to Withdraw its Rosslare-Cherbourg service – ittn.ie
Brittany Ferries, which is based in Cork and Rosslare, will increase both capacity and frequency of sailings departing Rosslare Europort from the end of September.
Departures will rise from five to seven every week. This means a daily Brittany Ferries departure from Rosslare Europort, starting October 2025.
The move includes a new Tuesday evening departure at 21:00, with additional sailings to be phased in as part of a broader strengthening of the route. Full schedules will be published shortly, after T’s have been crossed and I’s dotted. In the meantime, Brittany Ferries says it is ready to boost business continuity for Irish hauliers – and to offer more choice to holidaymakers.
It also reflects the close partnership of Brittany Ferries with Rosslare Europort, as well as the Port of Cherbourg. The company says long-term investment will strengthen trade links between Ireland and France, while offering modern ships, comfort, and a dependable alternative to air travel for passengers.
“Brittany Ferries is a company that prides itself on its ability to move quickly when opportunity knocks,” said Christophe Mathieu CEO Brittany Ferries. “News that our competitor was stepping back, started the firing pistol on a concerted efforted to secure port slots and better serve customers in Ireland and France.
“I am delighted that we can confirm this increase in capacity on the Cherbourg Rosslare route and we thank Rosslare Europort and the Port of Cherbourg for their support. It means greater choice for holidaymakers and even more opportunity for freight operators seeking to by-pass the UK entirely, cutting down on bureaucracy and delays at the UK border. Our new train connection in Cherbourg only adds further strings to the multimodal bow.”
Glenn Carr, Director Commercial Business Units for Iarnród Éireann Irish Rail – Port Authority for Rosslare Europort – said: “We are delighted to further strengthen our partnership with Brittany Ferries and welcome their expansion to a daily service in each direction on the Rosslare to Cherbourg route. Since Brexit, direct sailings between Rosslare Europort and the European continent have increased six-fold, and our priority has been to ensure we maintain that capacity and choice for industry and tourism alike. There has been intense interest in additional Rosslare to Cherbourg sailings, and Brittany Ferries have demonstrated their can-do attitude by confirming this expansion with us so quickly, capitalising on the strength of the route for passenger and freight markets alike.”
