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Rosslare Europort Welcomes Brittany Ferries New Weekly Direct Freight Route to Le Havre

4th November 2021
Rosslare Europort welcomes Brittany Ferries new weekly direct freight service to the port of Le Havre, France. To start next week, which will bring to 30 direct services between the Irish Port and mainland Europe weekly. The news comes as the south-east Irish port delivered a 55% increase in freight traffic year to date in 2021. In additon the Europort reveals details of its Masterplan. Rosslare Europort welcomes Brittany Ferries new weekly direct freight service to the port of Le Havre, France. To start next week, which will bring to 30 direct services between the Irish Port and mainland Europe weekly. The news comes as the south-east Irish port delivered a 55% increase in freight traffic year to date in 2021. In additon the Europort reveals details of its Masterplan. Credit: Rosslare Europort-twitter

Rosslare Europort has welcomed the announcement by Brittany Ferries of a new weekly direct (freight) service between Rosslare Europort and Le Havre, France. 

The announcement comes as Rosslare Europort (operated by Irish Rail) delivers a 55% increase in freight traffic year to date in 2021

The new service, will begin operations next Friday 12th November from Le Havre, and will operate weekly as follows:

  • Fridays depart Le Havre 19:00hrs, arrive Rosslare Europort 14:30hrs Saturday
  • Saturdays depart Rosslare Europort 17:45hrs, arrive Le Havre 15:00hrs Sunday

The service will be operated by Brittany Ferries’ freight-only Cotentin vessel, with capacity for 120 freight units and 120 cabins, as well as a range of amenities for drivers including a restaurant, bar and shop.  It will give Irish industry a further vital post-Brexit connection, with congestion-free access to Rosslare Europort, and landbridge-free access to the continent of Europe.  It also strengthens the partnership between Rosslare Europort and Brittany Ferries, adding to existing Brittany Ferries services between Rosslare and Bilbao, and between Rosslare and Cherbour. 

It will increase to thirty the number of direct weekly Ro-Ro services between Rosslare Europort and the European continent, cementing Rosslare’s status as Ireland’s Number one port for direct Ro-Ro services to Europe.

General Manager of Rosslare Europort Glenn Carr said “this is a further exciting development, not only for us in Rosslare Europort, but for Ireland as a whole, Irish industry, and the haulage sector.

We have worked with Brittany Ferries and collectively engaged with Irish hauliers and industry in identifying a new connection to meet the continuing rising demand for direct services to Europe.  We are delighted in conjunction with Brittainy Ferries and the port of Le Havre to offer this exclusive Ro-Ro service out of Ireland.  

The last 12 months has seen a transformative change both in terms of frequency and capacity in the services our shipping line customers are offering to and from Rosslare.  The demand for these services can be clearly seen with overall freight up 55% at the port and continental traffic up an incredible 360%. The new service announced by Brittany Ferries today adds further capacity, frequency and choice for exporters and importers and will further enhance and complement existing services operated by our shipping partners between Rosslare Europort and Bilbao, Cherbourg and Dunkirk.”

Europort's Masterplan

As well as the new service, Iarnród Éireann - Port Authority for Rosslare Europort - is commencing in January 2022 a major infrastructure transformation of Rosslare Europort, as part of its Port Masterplan.

The Masterplan, together with initiatives under the strategic plan for the port, will see over €30 million invested by Iarnród Éireann in Rosslare Europort over the next number of years.  It will ensure that Rosslare will be equipped with the capacity, facilities and technology to facilitate major growth for the benefit of the region and the wider national economy.

Major changes in the port will be:

  • New configuration of the port aligned to maximise future growth of the port and support regional and national development 
  • Significant new facilities and infrastructure to develop Rosslare Europort to its full potential as Ireland's gateway port to the UK and Europe
  • Design and develop a Sustainable, Seamless and Smart Port that will be best in class internationally

The development under the Masterplan will be completed over a number of phases over the next 2-5 years to enable the port continue to operate all services and activity during construction.  Rosslare Europort is the closest port to the UK and mainland Europe and offers numerous daily/weekly direct Services to the UK, France and Spain.

As well as the port masterplan, further substantial investment will also take place both at the port and the surrounding area with the following further developments being completed during the same timeframe.

  • Construction of the New N25 Rosslare Europort Access Road by TII and Wexford Co Council
  • Further significant development of Rosslare Europort for future Offshore Renewable projects
  • Construction by the OPW of the future permanent extensive facilities to meet all customs and Brexit requirements for state agencies at the Port, making Rosslare the only port outside of Dublin with the required Border Inspection Post 

The combined developments will see the largest ever investment in the port and surrounding area, and will position Rosslare Europort to become the leading gateway for the country to the UK and Europe.

Published in Rosslare Europort
Jehan Ashmore

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Jehan Ashmore

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Jehan Ashmore is a marine correspondent, researcher and photographer, specialising in Irish ports, shipping and the ferry sector serving the UK and directly to mainland Europe. Jehan also occasionally writes a column, 'Maritime' Dalkey for the (Dalkey Community Council Newsletter) in addition to contributing to UK marine periodicals. 

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About Rosslare Europort

2021 sees Rosslare Europort hitting a new record with a total of 36 shipping services a week operating from the port making it one of the premier Irish ports serving the European Continent. Rosslare Europort is a gateway to Europe for the freight and tourist industries. It is strategically located on the sunny south-east coast of Ireland.

Rosslare is within a 90-minute driving radius of major Irish cities; Dublin, Cork and Limerick. Rosslare Europort is a RoRo, RoPax, offshore and bulk port with three RoRo berths with a two-tier linkspan, we also have a dedicated offshore bulk berth.

Exports in Rosslare Europort comprise mainly of fresh products, food, pharmaceuticals, steel, timber and building supplies. While imports are largely in the form of consumer goods such as clothes, furniture, food, trade vehicles, and electronics.

The entire Europort is bar-swept to 7.2 meters, allowing unrestricted access to vessels with draughts up to 6.5 metres. Rosslare Europort offers a comprehensive service including mooring, stevedoring and passenger-car check-in for RoRo shipping lines. It also provides facilities for offshore, dry bulk and general cargo.

The port currently has twice-daily round services to the UK and direct services to the continent each day. Rosslare Europort has a fleet of Tugmasters service, fork-lift trucks, tractors and other handling equipment to cater for non-standard RoRo freight.