Brittany Ferries will close it’s Poole-Bilbao freight service during August 2025. The service has been operated twice-weekly by the chartered 155m ro-ro freighter MN Pelican (1999/12,076gt) since 2016.
However, the recent opening of the Bayonne-Cherbourg intermodal rail freight link means unaccompanied trailers are now carried directly to the port of Cherbourg for onward shipment by ferry, with Poole becoming Brittany Ferries’ UK hub port for this traffic.
Further good news for the Dorset port is that the Poole-Cherbourg route, which has been seasonal since 2020, will revert to a year-round operation for both freight and passengers, operated mainly by regular vessel the Barfleur (1992/20,133gt) with relief cover by Commodore Clipper (1999/14,000gt) this winter.
Report and photo by Kevin Mitchell
