Brittany Ferries increases Spanish services

Issue: Spring 2010

In mid-March, Brittany Ferries stepped up frequency on its direct services to Spain to an unprecedented five weekly departures.

This development, which is centred on the company’s recent acquisition of the 33,000 tonnes Cap Finistère, places Portsmouth centre stage for services to Santander in northern Spain. There will be three weekly departures from Portsmouth, one from Plymouth and the highly popular weekend freight-only bypass service from Poole.

As well as the new vessel Cap Finistère, the direct routes will also be served by the 42,000 tonnes multi-purpose Pont-Aven and the freight-only vessel Cotentin. Crossing times are designed to provide drivers with the opportunity to take their weekly 24 hour rest period whilst on board, a fact that will not be lost on cost-aware transporters seeking to improve vehicle productivity. Indeed, the marked increase in 2009 of 16% in commercial vehicles using the route was predominantly due to driver-accompanied traffic taking advantage of this unique opportunity.

With departures from the south coast on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and returns from Santander the following day, it is easy to understand the increasing popularity of this alternative to being parked in a French lay-by during driving bans. A significant proportion of transport companies specialising in the Iberian market now use the direct services as an integral part of the driver’s monthly rest programme, providing real productivity gains from their most costly assets: driver and vehicle. Fundamental to providing the former with a genuine break is the provision of the very best on-board facilities, something on which Brittany Ferries has built its reputation over the past four decades.

The departures on Tuesday and Wednesday offer the peak midweek market real alternatives to the long and expensive journey through France. An unrivalled reputation for reliability and a commitment to providing year-round freight capacity underpin the offer. Driving restrictions due to a seemingly endless stream of bank holidays, both national and local can be effectively bypassed, providing improved service levels and security to the entire supply chain. Security is improved in terms of the journey itself and perhaps more importantly for the load and of course, the driver. With both driver and vehicle at rest, repeated roadside checks are redundant.

More and more companies are using these routes to tie in with their journeys to markets further afield from the traditional destinations in Spain and Portugal. North Africa is an area of significant development, not just for traditional manufacturing of clothing, but oil exploration and agriculture that sees Morocco now being one of the major UK suppliers of tomatoes and flowers. Customs clearance can be arranged through agents who are present in Portsmouth and Poole and both are gaining a solid reputation in this specialist area.

It isn’t all about driver-accompanied vehicles. Brittany Ferries has witnessed a dramatic increase in the number of enquiries from organisations keen to exploit the potential productivity gains by placing unaccompanied trailers on their ships. 

Appropriate facilities are available at all ports and each has excellent road connections. The same crossing time that offers such advantages to driver-accompanied traffic makes very good sense for an unaccompanied operation.

One area where the benefits of a longer sea crossing cannot be overstated is that of the environment. Through its Marco Polo initiative, the EU is committed to the removal, where possible, of vehicles from the roads of Europe onto other more environmentally friendly modes of transport. The aim is to achieve a less congested and hence more fluid road system for those users for whom there is no alternative. Users of Brittany Ferries’ Santander services are making a direct contribution to this goal by the annual shift of up to 25,000 vehicles away from the French road network. With fuel and toll costs set to continue their upward trend, a saving of 1,090 kilometres on a typical journey via the Spanish border town of Irun against the alternative of shipping via Calais bring the advantages into sharp relief. Little wonder then that the transport industry so eagerly awaited mid- March 2010.

For further information, contact Brittany Ferries’ Freight Sales office on Tel: 0871 244 0411 or visit: www.brittanyferriesfreight.co.uk

Published: 21/04/2010