
Brittany Ferries has announced it will increase its Rosslare to Cherbourg service to daily departures, stepping in to fill the gap left by competitor Stena Line’s withdrawal from the route. The company will increase both capacity and frequency, moving from five to seven sailings every week, with the new daily schedule starting on October 2025.
The expansion comes as the Ireland-France seaborne connection is experiencing significant growth. The company reported that passenger volumes on the route have increased by nearly 40 per cent this year, while freight units have doubled. Brittany Ferries noted it first launched the Rosslare-Cherbourg service in 2021 as a post-Brexit response to demand from freight customers seeking to bypass the UK landbridge.
Christophe Mathieu, CEO of Brittany Ferries, stated that the company moved quickly to secure port slots and better serve customers in Ireland and France after Stena's announcement. He also noted that the service expansion connects with the company's new rail-ferry service linking Cherbourg with Bayonne on the Spanish border.
The capacity boost will also impact the ferry operator's fleet, with vessels such as Galicia and the flagship Pont-Aven now expected to serve the route throughout the winter instead of being laid up as previously planned.