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Fastest Ferry on English Channel Western Routes to Return to Service on Bastille Day

14th June 2023
Cherbourg Calling: Brittany Ferries in a month's time on Bastille Day (14th July) is to return to service over the summer season/ school holiday period with the fastest ferry crossing on the English Channel, (west of Dover), with sailings operated by Condor Liberation. Afloat adds, this is the only fast-craft ferry running direct links between UK-mainland Europe on the routes of Portsmouth-Cherbourg/ Cherbourg-Poole. Above Afloat captured this dawn scene at the Dorset port where the craft was a week away from temporarily reopening the western Channel routes during May’s half-term school break and as alluded such services will resume next month. Also amongst the very first passengers to use the UK-France link were Normandy veterans sailing to the region to commemorate the 79th anniversary of the D-Day Landing on 6th June, 1944.
Cherbourg Calling: Brittany Ferries in a month's time on Bastille Day (14th July) is to return to service over the summer season/ school holiday period with the fastest ferry crossing on the English Channel, (west of Dover), with sailings operated by Condor Liberation. Afloat adds, this is the only fast-craft ferry running direct links between UK-mainland Europe on the routes of Portsmouth-Cherbourg/ Cherbourg-Poole. Above Afloat captured this dawn scene at the Dorset port where the craft was a week away from temporarily reopening the western Channel routes during May’s half-term school break and as alluded such services will resume next month. Also amongst the very first passengers to use the UK-France link were Normandy veterans sailing to the region to commemorate the 79th anniversary of the D-Day Landing on 6th June, 1944. Credit: Jehan Ashmore

Brittany Ferries is to increase sailings on the English Channel when the fast-craft Condor Liberation returns to operating at weekends throughout the summer on the Portsmouth-Cherbourg and Cherbourg-Poole routes.

The fastcraft's sailing schedule sees Condor Liberation depart Portsmouth at 07:00 and arrive at Cherbourg (Normandy) at 11:00, that's just 180 minutes. The return sailing from Cherbourg is at 11:45 and arrives at Poole at 13:15. Noting, all times shown are local.

The service which welcomes passengers travelling on car and on foot will operate on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays during the school holiday periods of 14th July – 3rd September 2023.

The fast service will complement Brittany Ferries’ conventional cruise-ferry routes to Cherbourg from Poole and Portsmouth, and passengers can mix and match routes, sailing out to France by fast ferry and returning by cruise-ferry or vice-versa.

Christophe Mathieu, CEO Brittany Ferries said:“We’re delighted to bring even more choice and flexibility for our customers crossing the western Channel this summer.

“These fast sailings will complement our conventional cruise-ferry services operated by Barfleur on the Poole-Cherbourg route, and our overnight sailings from Portsmouth to Cherbourg with our latest ships Galicia and Salamanca. Across our route network this summer customers will now be able to choose from up to 130 departures a week.”

Condor Liberation carries 850 passengers and 235 cars, crossing the English Channel at speeds of up to 42 knots (48 miles per hour) making it the fastest ferry currently sailing the English Channel.

The Condor Liberation adds Afloat is the only fast-ferry on English Channel routes directly connecting Britain and mainland Europe, however fleetmates of the craft operating for Condor Ferries run high-speed sailings linking UK-France via the Channel Islands.

As Afloat reported in 2019, Brittany Ferries acquired a 25% stake in Condor Ferries which is also owned by Columbia Threadneedle Investments. Four years previously, the trimaran Condor Liberation made its maiden voyage from Poole to the Channel Islands. 

On board the Condor Liberation comes a wide range of facilities as standard. The craft offers several spacious open seating lounges and there is for an extra fee, a Club Lounge offers luxurious reclining seats, free Wi-Fi and complimentary hot drinks.

In addition facilities include an extensive duty-free shop, bistro café and bars.

Published in Ferry
Jehan Ashmore

About The Author

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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Ferry & Car Ferry News The ferry industry on the Irish Sea, is just like any other sector of the shipping industry, in that it is made up of a myriad of ship operators, owners, managers, charterers all contributing to providing a network of routes carried out by a variety of ships designed for different albeit similar purposes.

All this ferry activity involves conventional ferry tonnage, 'ro-pax', where the vessel's primary design is to carry more freight capacity rather than passengers. This is in some cases though, is in complete variance to the fast ferry craft where they carry many more passengers and charging a premium.

In reporting the ferry scene, we examine the constantly changing trends of this sector, as rival ferry operators are competing in an intensive environment, battling out for market share following the fallout of the economic crisis. All this has consequences some immediately felt, while at times, the effects can be drawn out over time, leading to the expense of others, through reduced competition or takeover or even face complete removal from the marketplace, as witnessed in recent years.

Arising from these challenging times, there are of course winners and losers, as exemplified in the trend to run high-speed ferry craft only during the peak-season summer months and on shorter distance routes. In addition, where fastcraft had once dominated the ferry scene, during the heady days from the mid-90's onwards, they have been replaced by recent newcomers in the form of the 'fast ferry' and with increased levels of luxury, yet seeming to form as a cost-effective alternative.

Irish Sea Ferry Routes

Irrespective of the type of vessel deployed on Irish Sea routes (between 2-9 hours), it is the ferry companies that keep the wheels of industry moving as freight vehicles literally (roll-on and roll-off) ships coupled with motoring tourists and the humble 'foot' passenger transported 363 days a year.

As such the exclusive freight-only operators provide important trading routes between Ireland and the UK, where the freight haulage customer is 'king' to generating year-round revenue to the ferry operator. However, custom built tonnage entering service in recent years has exceeded the level of capacity of the Irish Sea in certain quarters of the freight market.

A prime example of the necessity for trade in which we consumers often expect daily, though arguably question how it reached our shores, is the delivery of just in time perishable products to fill our supermarket shelves.

A visual manifestation of this is the arrival every morning and evening into our main ports, where a combination of ferries, ro-pax vessels and fast-craft all descend at the same time. In essence this a marine version to our road-based rush hour traffic going in and out along the commuter belts.

Across the Celtic Sea, the ferry scene coverage is also about those overnight direct ferry routes from Ireland connecting the north-western French ports in Brittany and Normandy.

Due to the seasonality of these routes to Europe, the ferry scene may be in the majority running between February to November, however by no means does this lessen operator competition.

Noting there have been plans over the years to run a direct Irish –Iberian ferry service, which would open up existing and develop new freight markets. Should a direct service open, it would bring new opportunities also for holidaymakers, where Spain is the most visited country in the EU visited by Irish holidaymakers ... heading for the sun!