Coronavirus: Brittany Ferries to resume passenger sailings

The first ship to resume passenger sailings, Cap Finistere, will leave Portsmouth on Monday

A ferry firm is to resume passenger sailings more than three months after they were suspended due to coronavirus travel restrictions.

Brittany Ferries said four ships would sail on Monday, with four more resuming services by 17 July.

No foot passengers will be permitted and reserved seats or cabins will be compulsory as part of social distancing measures, the firm says.

It said overall passenger capacity had been reduced by more than 60%.

Three ships - Barfleur, Etretat and Normandie Express - will not sail this summer due to insufficient cabins and "unpredictable demand", the company said.

'Limited seats'

Chief executive Christophe Mathieu said the firm had introduced staggered boarding times and enhanced ship cleaning.

He said: "We have put in place everything for a safe return to service and we have practised these measures daily."

Brittany Ferries said initial sailings were booking up quickly due to the reduced ship capacity and transfers of cancelled bookings.

The firm said a "very limited" number of reserved seats would be free, with cabins starting from £28.

Brittany Ferries operates routes from Portsmouth and Plymouth to Santander and Bilbao and cross-Channel ferries to France from Cork, Plymouth, Poole, Portsmouth and Rosslare - although Poole will not be served this summer.

The UK government is currently advising against all but essential international travel.

First passenger sailings

Portsmouth-Bilbao: 00:30 Monday (from Portsmouth)

Portsmouth-Caen: 08:30 Monday (from Caen)

Plymouth-Roscoff: 15:00 Monday (from Roscoff)

Rosslare-Roscoff: 23:30 Monday (from Rosslare)

Portsmouth-Santander: 17:45 Tuesday (from Portsmouth)