Ferry schedule opens up new trade link to France
Passengers have had a long wait for the ferry schedule as Brittany Ferries looks to make savings.
**Ferry timetable opens new trade route to France**
The winter timetable includes a new service to Cherbourg, the States of Guernsey says
A much-anticipated winter ferry timetable features a new route to northern France that the government says will create "new opportunities" for travel and trade.
Alongside the Cherbourg service, Brittany Ferries’ route to Portsmouth is also due to rise from six days a week to daily from November, the States of Guernsey said.
The timetable includes a mix of direct sailings to Portsmouth, as well as a new triangular route via Cherbourg to Portsmouth.
The States’ "principle approval" of the routes and timings for 2026-27 and the forthcoming summer 2027 timetable comes after complaints about "extremely frustrating" delays in receiving the updated schedules.
The new three-and-a-half hour route will give islanders a direct way to travel to Normandy.
With Cherbourg added, Guernsey will have sea links with five ports - Portsmouth, Poole, Cherbourg, St Malo and Jersey.
This comes as Brittany Ferries looks to simplify its operations because of financial pressures.
Deputy Sasha Kazantseva-Miller, President of the Committee for Economic Development, said the community had been waiting for the timetable "for a while".
She said a "huge amount of technical work" had been done, with some of it still continuing.
Referring to climate change and geo-political instability, she stressed the need for supply-chain resilience, noting that nearly 100% of this was currently tied to the UK.
Kazantseva-Miller said the new timetable created "new opportunities" for travel and trade - including food and building materials - via Cherbourg.
She said talks were under way with a French supermarket, while the new route could provide a "more direct export channel for seafood".
The States said the new Cherbourg route would "open the door" to south west France and the Iberian Peninsula, as well as Ireland.
The timetable launch follows a period of frustration in the community, with passengers saying they were unable to book services beyond December.
Christophe Mathieu, chief executive of Brittany Ferries, said the timetable would give islanders, tourism and local businesses more choice.
He said the new Cherbourg link would connect "seamlessly" with the Bayonne rail service.
The winter timetable is open for bookings from 1 November 2026 through to 21 March 2027, and the summer schedule is due to be published on 5 October.
Passengers travelling from Guernsey to Portsmouth on sailings routed via Cherbourg will need a valid passport to meet UK re-entry requirements.
The States said the schedule and operating arrangements would remain "under review to ensure they meet the needs of islanders and businesses", and were "subject to final border control technical integration".