Brittany Ferries announced its new winter and summer schedules, with the Guernsey-Portsmouth route going via Cherbourg two days a week in winter and three days a week in summer.
Brittany Ferries passengers disputed the States’ interpretation of Customs rules online yesterday but the government made it clear that a valid passport would be needed to comply with UK re-entry requirements. Direct services to Portsmouth, and sailings from Portsmouth to Guernsey are not affected.
The new route will create a connection of about three-and-a-half hours, giving the opportunity of travel to the Cotentin Peninsula and creating direct links to Normandy.
The conventional ferry will also operate seven days a week, rather than six. The winter timetable runs until 21 March next year and the company’s summer schedules will be released next week.
Economic Development said the new services, agreed with Brittany Ferries as part of its 15-year contract with the States, offered a resilient and sustainable ferry service for the island and enables Guernsey’s sea connectivity to consolidate further into Brittany’s wider network.
It said that the new consolidation proposals would ensure Islander’s spare capacity was better-used, reducing operational costs and keeping freight costs down to help future-proof the service to meet changing market conditions. It said Guernsey ferry freight costs were about 14% lower than those in Jersey.
‘The new timetable provides Guernsey with a daily service while maintaining the freight and passenger capacity the island depends on,’ said president Sasha Kazantseva-Miller.
‘It is a strategic priority for the committee to develop longer-term economic resilience and supply-chain diversification. Given the impact of climate change on food security and increasing geo-political instability, we cannot take for granted where our food and essential goods come from and right now nearly 100% of our supply-chain is tied to the UK.’
She said that the new link allowed seamless access for hauliers to Brittany Ferries multi-modal Cherbourg to Bayonne rail service, opening the door to south-west France and the Iberian Peninsula.
Deputy Kazantseva-Miller said the new Cherbourg link created new opportunities such as importing building materials and food. ‘We are already in discussions with a French supermarket. It may also offer a more direct export channel for seafood and other local products, including octopus.
‘In the short period of operation of our new contract with Brittany Ferries, we have already seen some excellent results both for passengers and tourism as well as freight service delivery and pricing and these proposals are further steps in enabling Guernsey’s sea connectivity resilience and sustainability.’
Brittany Ferries chief executive Christophe Mathieu said more choice for passengers and more connectivity for freight and logistics was good news for islanders, tourism and local businesses.
‘Islanders and businesses need a service they can rely on through the winter, and a regular daily conventional ferry service gives them that resilience,’ he said.
‘This new timetable brings together our know-how and our long experience of operating triangular routes from the Channel Islands, and it’s a sustainable service that has been made possible by our partnership with the States of Guernsey.’
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