Brittany Ferries
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| Company type | Private company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Passenger transportation Freight transportation Holidays |
| Genre | Holidays |
| Founded | 1973 |
| Founder | Alexis Gourvennec |
| Headquarters | Roscoff, France |
Area served | France, United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain |
Key people | Jean-Marc Roué Christophe Mathieu Frédéric Pouget Corinne Vintner |
| Revenue |  €444.2 million (2018) |
| Total assets | €444.2 million (2018) |
| Owner | BAI Bretagne Angleterre Irlande S.A. |
Number of employees |  2,787 (2018 average - high and low seasons)[1] |
| Website | brittany-ferries |
Brittany Ferries (founded in 1973 by Alexis Gourvennec) is the trading name of the French shipping company, BAI Bretagne Angleterre Irlande S.A., that operates a fleet of ferries and cruiseferries between France and the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Spain, and between the United Kingdom and Spain.
History
BAI (Bretagne Angleterre Irlande) S.A. was founded by Alexis Gourvennec. Working with fellow Breton farmers, Gourvennec lobbied for improvements to Brittany's infrastructure, including better roads, telephone network, education and port access. By 1972 he had successfully secured funding and work to develop a deep-waterport at Roscoff. Gourvennec had no desire to run a ferry service, but existing operators showed little appetite for the opportunity.
The company itself began sailings on 2 January 1973 between Roscoff in Brittany and Plymouth in the South West of England, using the freight ferry Kerisnel a former Israeli tank carrier. The company's primary aim at that time was to exploit opportunities presented by the UK's entry into the Common Market (forerunner to the EU) in order to export directly to markets in the United Kingdom.
In 1974, Kerisnel was replaced by Penn-Ar-Bed, which carried both passengers and vehicles, and the BAI company adopted the name Brittany Ferries.[2]
In late 2009, the new Poole-Santander freight-only service was deemed a success and the frequency was doubled: there would now be two services a week operated by Cotentin. In November 2009, Armorique was laid up for the rest of the winter season. Major changes were announced in December 2009. Barfleur was withdrawn from service at the end of January 2010 after nearly 18 years service on the Poole-Cherbourg route. The service was temporarily served by Armorique, which came back to service earlier than originally planned. The Poole-Santander service reverted to one sailing a week with Cotentin covering freight on the Poole-Cherbourg service in the absence of Barfleur. Condor Vitesse continued to operate one round sailing a day in the summer months between the two ports. Cap Finistère ran between Portsmouth and Santander twice a week and also operated three round trips a week between Portsmouth and Cherbourg. In September 2010, Brittany Ferries announced plans to serve the Portsmouth–Bilbao route recently abandoned by P&O Ferries.[3] The route started on 27 March 2011.
On 21 September 2012, Brittany Ferries cancelled sailings indefinitely following two days of wildcat strikes caused by crew members who were unhappy with changes in working terms and conditions. Meetings took place between management and unions to negotiate the management proposals. A vote was taken on 30 September by union members to decide if the management proposals would be accepted. The crew members accepted the proposal and services resumed on 2 October after 12 days without services. During this period, Brittany Ferries made special arrangements with P&O Ferries and MyFerryLink to accept Brittany Ferries tickets on the Dover–Calais route; any unused tickets were refunded.[4] Services were not affected on the Poole–Cherbourg route which was being operated by Condor Ferries.
From late March 2020, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Brittany Ferries was forced to cancel all passenger sailings until the 15 May 2020 after government advice was issued against all travel.[5] Initially they had been offering refund vouchers valid for two years for affected customers. Many customers were unsatisfied with vouchers and had requested a refund. Brittany Ferries had begun to issue refunds in the last week of April for customers that wished for a refund.[6] Customers were entitled to a refund under EU regulation 1177/2010 [7] however many travel companies have left people out of pocket, instead issuing vouchers which contravene this regulation.[8]
In 2018 Brittany Ferries commenced service between Cork, Ireland and Santander, Spain, this was cancelled and effectively replaced in February 2020 by the Rosslare-Bilbao service which runs twice weekly.[9] A seasonal service between Rosslare and Roscoff is also offered.[10]
On 18 June 2020, various shipping media reported that Brittany Ferries had terminated the contract for the build of Honfleur. [11]
On 23 July 2020, Brittany Ferries announced there will be a new Rosslare-Cherbourg service. According to the timetable, Etretat will be used for this service once a week from March 22nd 2021. [12]
On 19 August 2020, the company announced it was reducing services from the end of August and laying up two ships, Armorique and Bretagne in a cost saving exercise.[13]
Fleet
Current Fleet
| Ship | Built | Entered service | Gross tonnage | Length | Beam | Service speed | Vessel type | Port of registry | Current status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armorique | 2009 | 2009 | 29,468 GT | 168.30 m | 26.8 m | 25 knots | Cruise Ferry | Morlaix | Laid Up in Le Havre |
| Barfleur | 1992 | 1992 | 20,133 GT | 158.7 m | 23.3 m | 19.5 knots | Cruise Ferry | Cherbourg | Laid Up in Caen |
| Bretagne | 1989 | 1989 | 24,534 GT | 152.80 m | 26.0 m | 21 knots | Cruise Ferry | Morlaix | Laid Up in Le Havre |
| Cap Finistère | 2001 | 2010 | 32,728 GT | 203.90 m | 25.0 m | 28 knots | Cruise Ferry | Morlaix | In Service |
| Connemara | 2007 | 2018 | 27,414 GT | 186.50 m | 25.6 m | 24 knots | Économie Service | Morlaix | Undergoing Refit in Santander |
| Cotentin | 2007 | 2007 | 22,252 GT | 167.00m | 26.80m | 23 knots | Freight Vessel | Cherbourg | In Service |
| Etretat | 2008 | 2014 | 26,904 GT | 187.00 m | 26.0 m | 24 knots | Économie Service | Le Havre | In Service |
| Galicia | 2020 | 2020 | 42,400 GT | 214.50 m | 27.8 m | 22 knots | Cruise Ferry | Morlaix | In Service |
| MN Pelican | 1999 | 2016 | 12,076 GT | 155.5 m | 22.7 m | 20 knots | Freight Vessel | Marseille | Undergoing Refit in Ferrol, Spain |
| Mont St Michel | 2002 | 2002 | 35,586 GT | 173.95 m | 28.5 m | 22 knots | Cruise Ferry | Caen | In Service |
| Normandie | 1992 | 1992 | 27,451 GT | 161.40 m | 26.0 m | 20.5 knots | Cruise Ferry | Caen | In Service |
| Normandie Express | 2000 | 2005 | 6,581 GT | 97.22 m | 26.6 m | 42 knots | High Speed Ferry | Caen | Laid Up in Le Havre |
| Pont-Aven | 2004 | 2004 | 40,859 GT | 184.3 m | 31.0 m | 27 knots | Cruise Ferry | Morlaix | Laid Up in Le Havre |
Past Fleet
| Ship | Built | In service | Tonnage | Current status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kerisnel | 1972 | 1972 | 1,983 GT | Scrapped after sinking. |
| Bénodet | 1970 | 1983-1985 | 4,317 GT | Since 2000, with Woodward Group as MS Apollo |
| Goelo | 1967 | 1980-1982 | 5,149 GT | Scrapped in Turkey, 2001 |
| Penn-Ar-Bed | 1974 | 1974 | 6,399 GT | Scrapped in India, 2004 |
| Armorique | 1972 | 1976-1993 | 8,181 GT | Sunk in The Java Sea, 2011 |
| Cornouailles | 1977 | 1977 | 6,918 GT | Scrapped in Turkey, 2013 |
| Reine Mathilde | 1970 | 1978-1992 | 7,747 GT | Scrapped in India, 2005 |
| Breizh Izel | 1970 | 1980 | 6,576 GT | Scrapped in Turkey, 2014 |
| Tregastel | 1971 | 1985 | 8,696 GT | Ever since 2011, with Baaboud Shipping as MS Noor |
| Coutances | 1970 | 1985-2008 | 6,507 GT | Sank in Puerto la Cruz, 2018 |
| Purbeck | 1978 | 1985 | 6,507 GT | Sank in Puerto la Cruz, 2018 |
| Quiberon | 1975 | 1982-2002 | 11,813 GT | Renamed D'Abundo and sent to Alang for scrapping |
| Duc de Normandie | 1978 | 1986-2005 | 13,505 GT | Scrapped in Aliaga in 2021 as the Damla |
| Duchesse Anne | 1979 | 1988-1996 | 9,795 GT | Since 1996, with Jadrolinija as MF Dubrovnik |
| Val de Loire | 1986 | 1993-2006 | 31,564 GT | Since 2006, with DFDS Seaways as MS King Seaways |
| Pont L'Abbe | 1976 | 2006-2009 | 17,564 GT | Since 2009, with Moby Lines as Moby Corse |
| Baie de Seine | 2001 | 2015-2020 | 22,382 GT | Returned to DFDS Seaways in March 2020 as MS Sirena Seaways |
| Kerry | 2001 | 2019-2020 | 24,418 GT | Returned to Stena Line in November 2020 |
Future Fleet
| Ship | Built | Entered service | Gross tonnage | Length | Beam | Service speed | Vessel type | Port of registry | Current status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salamanca | On order | On order | 42,400 GT | 214.50 m | 27.8 m | 22 knots | Cruise Ferry | Unknown | Due for delivery Spring 2022 [14] |
| Santoña | On Order | On order | 42,400 GT | 214.50 m | 27.8 m | 22 knots | Cruise Ferry | Unknown | Due for Delivery Spring 2023 |
Routes
| Route | Vessel |
|---|---|
| Portsmouth ⇄ Caen | Mont St Michel and Normandie |
| Portsmouth ⇄ Le Havre | Etretat (January-March 2021) and Cotentin (March-June 2021) |
| Portsmouth ⇄ Cherbourg | Normandie Express and Galicia |
| Portsmouth ⇄ Saint Malo | Bretagne and Pont-Aven (Winter service) |
| Portsmouth ⇄ Santander | Pont-Aven, Cap Finistere and Galicia |
| Portsmouth ⇄ Bilbao | Cap Finistere and Connemara |
| Poole ⇄ Cherbourg | Cotentin (January-March 2021) and Barfleur |
| Poole ⇄ Bilbao | MN Pelican (Freight only) |
| Plymouth ⇄ Roscoff | Armorique and Pont-Aven |
| Plymouth ⇄ Santander | Pont-Aven |
| Cork ⇄ Roscoff | Pont-Aven |
| Rosslare ⇄ Roscoff | Connemara |
| Rosslare ⇄ Cherbourg | Etretat (From 22 March 2021) |
| Rosslare ⇄ Bilbao |
References
Notes
- ^ "Brittany Ferries Bilan Consolidé (Balance Sheet), including employee numbers" (PDF). Brittany Ferries Corporate.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Hoyle, B S; Pinder, David, eds. (1992). European Port Cities in Transition. London: Belhaven Press in association with the British Association for the Advancement of Science. p. 92. ISBN 9780470219263.
- ^ "Brittany Ferries saves Portsmouth-Bilbao route". Travel News UK. 27 September 2010. Archived from the original on 4 December 2010. Retrieved 8 October 2010.
- ^ "Brittany Ferries services halted 'until further notice'". BBC News. 21 September 2012. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
- ^ "Britons are advised against all non-essential foreign travel".
- ^ "Brittany Ferries to offer refunds not credit notes".
- ^ "My Ferry Has Been Delayed Or Cancelled – Could I Be Entitled To Compensation?".
- ^ "Coronavirus: Watchdog threatens legal action on holiday refunds".
- ^ New Rosslare to Bilbao ferry service sets sail by Conor O'Kane, RTE News, February 28, 2020.
- ^ Brittany Ferries announces new services to Spain and France from Rosslare Irish Times, January 29, 2020.
- ^ "Current building contract at Flensburger Werft FSG terminated".
- ^ "New Rosslare - Cherbourg Route in 2021".
- ^ "Brittany Ferries to cut passenger sailings". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
- ^ "New vessels for Brittany Ferries UK-Spain routes".
Bibliography
- Cowsill, Miles (1993). Brittany Ferries: From the Land to the Sea / De la Terre a la Mer (in English and French). Kilgetty, Pembrokeshire: Ferry Publications. ISBN 1871947170.
- Cowsill, Miles (2007). Brittany Ferries: 1973–2007. Ramsey, Isle of Man: Ferry Publications. ISBN 1871947898.
- Cowsill, Miles (2013). Brittany Ferries: 40 memorable years of service, hospitality and holidays. Ramsey, Isle of Man: Ferry Publications. ISBN 9781906608521.
External links
