During November and December Incat 87m Condor Rapide (1997/5,007gt) took over high-speed UK-Channel Island sailings while Austal 102m Condor Liberation (2010/6,307gt) was overhauled at Falmouth.

Between 24 November and the end of the year the Poole-Cherbourg route was maintained by Connemara (2007/27,414gt) to allow regular vessel Barfleur (1992/20,133gt) to be overhauled at the Astander shipyard in Santander, work including repainting in the latest Brittany Ferries livery.

Although this was Connemara’s first visit to the Dorset port under that name, she had previously operated as LD Lines’ Norman Asturias between Poole and Northern Spain.

Chartered by Brittany Ferries in 2018 for their new Cork-Santander service, the previously Cypriot-registered Connemara recently became French-flagged and registered in Morlaix.

Poole Harbour Commissioners took advantage of this change of vessel by removing the top deck linkspan bridge on ro-ro berth 3 for essential maintenance.

Also during December the Poole-Bilbao freighter MN Pélican (1999/12,976gt) returned from a four month absence during which exhaust scrubbers were installed, the route being covered by the chartered Bore Bay (1997/10,572gt).