Brittany Ferries to end two UK-France routes and sell two ferries

Brittany Ferries is set to sell two ships and end an English Channel service at the end of summer to generate savings, the company has announced. 

The route between Portsmouth and Le Havre will close by October 2026. Currently, the route is served daily in both directions.

Alongside closure of the route, two ships from the Brittany Ferries fleet – Barfleur (1992) and Cotentin (2007) – will be sold. 

Neither of these vessels run the Portsmouth - Le Havre route however, which is operated by the Commodore Clipper and which will remain as part of the fleet.

Altogether the route cancellation and ship sales will generate around €20 million in annual savings, Brittany Ferries told AFP.

The company also announced that it would end its Poole-Cherbourg route by November 2026 – the Barfleur currently operates this route – but replace it with a Portsmouth-Cherbourg alternative.

The Cotentin sails the Rosslare-Cherbourg route, but this journey will remain and be taken over by alternative vessels.

Financial difficulties and little-used route

The plan is required after 2026 sales were “below expectations,” the company said, pointing to an “anxiety-inducing climate caused by the crisis in the Middle East [and]... crushing pressure on the purchasing power,” for Britons and Europeans. 

Brittany Ferries is also paying back a Covid-era loan to the French government, which it says is impacting its financial timetable.

The company vowed not to implement fuel surcharges for passengers this summer following the outbreak of the conflict between the US and Iran, at a time where concern over European flight cancellations due to fuel shortages were highest, but this did not translate into a sales boom. 

The Portsmouth-Le Havre route has struggled for several years and has been suspended a number of times. 

Last year, fewer than 14,000 passengers used the route, despite Le Havre being the most easterly European port served by the company and the closest to Paris. 

In contrast, the Portsmouth-Caen/Ouisterham route is the company’s most used, serving over 400,000 passengers last year. 

It has 2-3 return sailings per day, including on the company’s most modern ships. 

The company “has operated this route for as long as possible… in the face of unfair competition… caused by subsidies to run the loss-making Dieppe-Newhaven route,” Brittany Ferries said, highlighting a competing route by rival DFDS.

“The latter benefits from operating subsidies that allow its operator to avoid bearing the brunt of rising costs and the cross-Channel market decline affecting all routes—including the Dieppe line itself,” the company added. 

Further changes implemented from November 2026 onwards include: 

• Brittany Ferries Islander will serve a triangular route as follows: Portsmouth to Guernsey, Guernsey to Cherbourg, Cherbourg to Portsmouth

• Brittany Ferries Voyager (fast craft) will continue to serve Poole to Guernsey, but with the option to travel on to St Malo

• The opening of Guernsey to the freight hub of Cherbourg 

Do you use the Portsmouth-Le Havre route? How much of an impact will the closure have on you if so? Please let us know via feedback@connexionfrance.com