BAI (Bretagne Angleterre Irlande) S.A. was founded by Alexis Gourvennec. Working with fellow Breton farmers, Gourvennec lobbied for improvements to Brittany's infrastructure, including better roads, telephone network, education and port access. By 1972 he had successfully secured funding and work to develop a deep-water port at Roscoff. Gourvennec had no desire to run a ferry service, but existing operators showed little appetite for the opportunity.
The company itself began sailings on 2 January 1973 between Roscoff in Brittany and Plymouth in the South West of England, using the freight ferry Kerisnel, a former Israeli tank carrier. The company's primary aim at that time was to exploit opportunities presented by the UK's entry into the European Common Market, forerunner to the European Union, in order to export directly to markets in the United Kingdom.
In 1974, Kerisnel was replaced by Penn-Ar-Bed, which carried both passengers and vehicles, and the BAI company adopted the name Brittany Ferries.[2]
Acquistions and partnerships
It was revealed in the press in May 1985 that Truckline Ferries was in discussions about a takeover of the company (which was by now fully French owned), with bids coming from Sealink British Ferries, by then owned by Sea Containers, and Brittany Ferries. Both initial bids were refused,[3] but in July 1985, Brittany announced they had purchased the company from Worms and CGM for an undisclosed amount. The Truckline name was to be retained on the Poole-Cherbourg service along with staff and the existing fleet[4] and an immediate £3.5 million cash injection was made to develop the service further.[5] This resulted in two major moves by the company; the first to 'jumboize' the freight ships Coutances and Purbeck, which took place during the first half of 1986, the second being to introduce a new passenger service under the Truckline brand during the summer season from June 1986.[5] As a result of the takeover, Brittany Ferries became the largest freight ferry operator on the Western Channel.[6]
In 1990 Brittany Ferries joined forces with Emeraude Ferries and British Channel Island Ferries to launch a 'French Connection' service which would allow a Poole-Jersey, Jersey-St Malo, St Malo-Portsmouth round trip to be booked as a single journey across the three operators.[7]
Operations under the Truckline name ceased in 1999, when Brittany Ferries rebranded the service under their own name.[8]
In late 2009, the new Poole–Santander freight-only service was deemed a success and the frequency was doubled: there would now be two services a week operated by Cotentin. In November 2009, Armorique was laid up for the rest of the winter season. Major changes were announced in December 2009. Barfleur was withdrawn from service at the end of January 2010 after nearly 18 years service on the Poole–Cherbourg route. The service was temporarily served by Armorique, which came back to service earlier than originally planned. The Poole–Santander service reverted to one sailing a week with Cotentin covering freight on the Poole–Cherbourg service in the absence of Barfleur. Condor Vitesse continued to operate one round sailing a day in the summer months between the two ports. Cap Finistère ran between Portsmouth and Santander twice a week and also operated three round trips a week between Portsmouth and Cherbourg. In September 2010, Brittany Ferries announced plans to serve the Portsmouth–Bilbao route recently abandoned by P&O Ferries.[9] The route started on 27 March 2011.
Strike action
On 21 September 2012, Brittany Ferries cancelled sailings indefinitely following two days of wildcat strikes caused by crew members who were unhappy with changes in working terms and conditions. Meetings took place between management and unions to negotiate the management proposals. A vote was taken on 30 September by union members to decide if the management proposals would be accepted. The crew members accepted the proposal and services resumed on 2 October after 12 days without services. During this period, Brittany Ferries made special arrangements with P&O Ferries and MyFerryLink to accept tickets on the Dover–Calais route. Unused tickets were refunded.[10] Services were not affected on the Poole–Cherbourg route which was being operated by Condor Ferries.
Irish and Spanish operations
Brittany Ferries logo until 2018
In 2018, Brittany Ferries commenced service between Cork, Ireland, and Santander. This was cancelled and effectively replaced in February 2020 by the Rosslare–Bilbao service which runs twice weekly.[11] A seasonal service between Rosslare and Roscoff is also offered.[12]
Impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic
From late March 2020, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Brittany Ferries was forced to cancel all passenger sailings until 15 May 2020 after British government advice was issued against all travel.[13] Initially they had been offering refund vouchers valid for 2 years for affected customers. Many customers were unsatisfied with vouchers and had requested a refund. Brittany Ferries had begun to issue refunds in the last week of April for customers that wished for a refund. Customers were entitled to a refund under EU regulation 1177/2010.[14]
On 23 July 2020, Brittany Ferries announced the launch of a brand new Rosslare–Cherbourg service.
On 19 August 2020, as a consequence of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, the company confirmed that it was reducing ferry services from the end of August and laying up various ships, beginning with Armorique and Bretagne. Further schedule changes were likely in the months ahead, the company confirmed in March 2021. It also confirmed the launch of a five-year recover plan following the loss of more than half of its revenue, the consequence of restrictions on passenger traffic in all markets in which it operates.[15]
Fleet investment
On 20 July 2021, Brittany Ferries announced at a press conference in Paris that it had secured a charter with Stena RoRo for 2 more E-Flexers. The new vessels are due to replace the Normandie on the Portsmouth–Caen route and Bretagne on the Portsmouth–St Malo Route. The charter is expected to run for 10 years with the option to purchase after 4 years.[16]
On 8 August 2024, Brittany Ferries announced its intention to become the majority stakeholder of Condor Ferries, pending approval of regulators in Jersey and Guernsey.[17] The company received regulatory approval for the move in September 2024,[18] later signing a new 15-year contract with Guernsey in December 2024. This was announced after Jersey appointed DFDS Seaways as their chosen operator.[19]
Following Jersey's decision, Brittany Ferries launched legal action for a judicial review against Jersey's Minister for Sustainable Economic Development, Deputy Kirsten Morel.[20] Legal action was denied in January 2026 by Jersey's Court of Appeal, who later ordered Brittany Ferries to pay DFDS £40,000 in legal fees and an undisclosed amount to Deputy Morel.[21][22]
Services to Guernsey began on 28 March 2025, and saw the Islander transfer to Brittany Ferries to operate Portsmouth services and the return of the former Normandie Express, now the Voyager, to operate between St Malo, Guernsey and Poole, and a weekly sailing to Jersey. The Commodore Clipper was also transferred and would be used elsewhere across the network following its charter by Brittany Ferries from 2024, and as a back-up vessel when required.[23][24]
The Guernsey operation has led to the island's market share of ferry passengers from the UK to the Channel Islands exceededing 50%, overtaking Jersey for the first time, and an overall 60% increase in French passengers travelling to the island in 2025.[25]
In late February 2026, Brittany Ferries entered an agreement with Guernsey-based company Islands Unlimited to allow bookings and reservations with Islands Unlimited to be made on Brittany Ferries' website. This aims to further bolster inter-island travel between Guernsey and Jersey.[26]
↑Hoyle, B S; Pinder, David, eds. (1992). European Port Cities in Transition. London: Belhaven Press in association with the British Association for the Advancement of Science. p.92. ISBN978-0-470-21926-3.
↑"Ferry Deal Talks Go On". Bournemouth Evening Echo. 4 May 1985. p.1.
↑"Brittany Buys Truckline". Southern Evening Echo. 4 July 1985. p.3.
12Cowsill, Miles (1993). Brittany Ferries: From the Land to the Sea / De la Terre a la Mer (in English and French). Kilgetty, Pembrokeshire: Ferry Publications. ISBN1-871947-17-0.
↑"Now It's The Ferry at Full Stretch". Bournemouth Evening Echo. 7 April 1986. p.12.
↑"Special Ferry Deals for Motorists". Dorset Evening Echo. 30 January 1990. p.10.
Cowsill, Miles (1993). Brittany Ferries: From the Land to the Sea / De la Terre a la Mer (in English and French). Kilgetty, Pembrokeshire: Ferry Publications. ISBN1-871947-17-0.
Cowsill, Miles (2007). Brittany Ferries: 1973–2007. Ramsey, Isle of Man: Ferry Publications. ISBN978-1-871947-89-2.
Cowsill, Miles (2013). Brittany Ferries: 40 memorable years of service, hospitality and holidays. Ramsey, Isle of Man: Ferry Publications. ISBN978-1-906608-52-1.
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€444.2 million (2018)
2,787 (2018 average – high and low seasons) [1] 
