New Ireland-France ferry service begins today, runs six times per week
Operator expects strong freight and passenger traffic, as Boulogne-sur-Mer sees first international ferry service in 15 years
The route will take around 21 hours between the two ports
Hibernia Line / Meda01 / Shutterstock
A new France-Ireland ferry service starts this evening (June 12), connecting Cork and Boulogne-sur-Mer (Pas-de-Calais).
Operated by new company Hibernia Line, the route will run six times per week Monday-Saturday in both directions between the French port and Ringaskiddy (Cork) that also sees ferry services to Roscoff (Finistère).
Leaving the ports at 21:00 (Cork, GMT) and 22:00 (Boulogne-sur-Mer), the overnight voyage is scheduled to take around 21 hours, or roughly 24 hours for ships leaving on Saturday night.
Two vessels – St Patrick and Akka – will be used. The video below shows St Patrick being welcomed into Boulogne’s port earlier this week.
The boat made a test trip along the route and is now stationed in Ringaskiddy, with the maiden voyage this evening being conducted by the Akka.
Both ships have a passenger capacity of 600, alongside space for 130 units of freight.
They can accommodate foot passengers, cars, vans, campervans and caravans, motorbikes/bicycles, and lorries.
However, foot passenger-only tickets are not available until July 1.
Freight focus but passenger numbers growing
The first few voyages along the route will see limited passenger capacity, before sales are expanded for the summer.
While exact information on ticket sales could not be provided, a PR agency working with the company told The Connexion that figures pointed towards a strong showing for the route across the first summer period.
Ferry routes between Ireland and France are becoming increasingly popular.
This is both due to increased tourism links but also the ramifications of Brexit, with companies looking to bypass using the UK to transport goods between Ireland and continental Europe.
Other operators to run Ireland-France ferries include Brittany Ferries, Irish Ferries, and DFDS.
“The main focus of [the Hibernia Line] route will initially be freight traffic,” the team told The Connexion.
Benefits for Boulogne-Sur-Mer
The route is viewed as a major plus for the French port, and is the first international ferry service to dock there for 15 years.
Around €2.6 million of investments were made to modernise the port in preparation for the route, which should bring revenue to the local economy.
“It's truly something very moving; it's the culmination of years of work, of consultation, of making sure that we could create a route to Ireland from scratch,” said mayor of Boulogne-sur-Mer agglomeration Frédéric Cuvillier on his Facebook page.
“I'm happy, I'm so excited… It's the beginning of a great adventure… I love people who believe in Boulogne,” he added.
Non-EU citizens and French residency card holders will be subject to Entry/Exit System (EES) requirements when they arrive at Boulogne-sur-Mer.
This is because Ireland is not a Schengen area member (despite being part of the EU).
