According to the IF website the last Rosslare to Cherbourg sailing is the Oscar Wilde on Friday 28th September. There are no sailings from Rosslare to France for the rest of the year.
Couple of questions
1. Is the Rosslare- France service going to continue as a summer only service?
2. Whats going to happen to the Oscar Wilde?
Oscar Wilde will go into hibernation for the winter months and could reappear during drydock season.
Epsilon will operate Dublin - Cherbourg 3 times a week for remainder of year.
There is a possibility this may change as rumour is Dublin Swift will operate to Christmas and possibly WB Yeats will do one Dublin - Cherbourg sailing per week.
One trip by W B Yeats per week [presumably on a Saturday] would pick up those passengers who would otherwise have gone to BF on the Pont Aven during the shoulder season. Not everyone is a Visentini fan and Visentinis currently are scheduled to provide all Ireland- France sailings during the October - March period.
One query: if the Oscar Wilde is in hibernation, how long does it take to wake it up? Get a crew together, stock it etc.
The term used was Warm Layover which means she would be docked in presumably Le Havre with a small crew to keep her in working order during the winter months.
Quote from: IFPete on June 07, 2018, 09:12:03 AM
The term used was Warm Layover which means she would be docked in presumably Le Havre with a small crew to keep her in working order during the winter months.
Could see some use in charter market during drydock season, would be ironic if Stena chartered for cover while Europe, Superfasts etc went to drydock in early 19, of course all this assumes W B Yeats arrives on time, judging by latest images, we will have to wait and see.
Quote from: A83 on June 07, 2018, 07:45:25 AM
One trip by W B Yeats per week [presumably on a Saturday] would pick up those passengers who would otherwise have gone to BF on the Pont Aven during the shoulder season. Not everyone is a Visentini fan and Visentinis currently are scheduled to provide all Ireland- France sailings during the October - March period.
One query: if the Oscar Wilde is in hibernation, how long does it take to wake it up? Get a crew together, stock it etc.
October to March isn't exactly busy for tourist traffic on the France routes, hence why services are being scaled back. Alternatively the operators could all run "Cruise" ferries almost empty of passengers and add the cost on to everyones ticket during peak season I suppose. At present the plan appears to be for the Swift to miss the Autumn/Winter season when sailings often get cancelled due to weather anyway, with the lost capacity made up with WB YEATS (assuming she arrives in time), both in terms of passenger space and the freight space lost by moving EPSILON to the France route which lets not forget is only moving from a weekend only service this year. EPSILON will be a cheaper vessel to operate on what is really a new route for midweek sailings. With freight expected to move to the year-round through the week Dublin route instead of driving to Rosslare the need for OSCAR WILDE in Autumn/Winter is significantly reduced (it goes without saying that EPSILON will be more cost efficient to operate than OSCAR WILDE, and by having all services running from Dublin there are potential cost synergies there as well). She will also be there as a sort of backup and refit relief vessel of course, with plenty of time to undertake all the tasks needed to keep her in service as she ages.
Perhaps if the right offer came along ICG might be tempted to cash in on Oscar though? Of course that would leave them without a vessel for Rosslare - France. What happens when FSG777 arrives is anyones guess really. At present to my knowledge ICG have not mentioned a fast craft being in service after the arrival of the second FSG ship, so it is
perhaps likely that WB YEATS will replace EPSILON on the France sailings and operate Dublin - Cherbourg year round, while 777 sees off the final fast craft to Wales. This would allow EPSILON to be returned to her owner of course and let ICG make a tidy profit on the sale or charter of DUBLN SWIFT which was picked up at a bargain price, while reducing overall operating costs as well. Going seasonal could also potentially prolong the operational life of OSCAR WILDE. Brittany Ferries increased Cork - France frequency may affect Oscar's route as well, but that remains to be seen.
The enhanced Brittany Ferries service from Cork - Roscoff is having an impact with loads well ahead of target, the Cork - Santander service has also exceeded expectations but keep in mind expectations of a new route in its second month of operation would not be overly high, from what I have seen so far most of the passenger traffic is Irish and the bulk of the HGV's are Spanish (with a surprising number of UK registered units using it also).
Talking to people involved in the operation there is strong speculation that another Brittany Ferries vessel will be added to the Cork operation next year (bringing it to a 3 ship operation), Brittany Ferries is planning to rebrand its Economie services to differentiate them from their premium product (cruise ferries), if another ship does arrive in Cork it is not yet known if it will be another Economie vessel or a cascade from Brittany Ferries own fleet.
All that said it is still early days and the winter timetables for Cork - Roscoff and Cork - Santander have yet to be published, and those will be a good indication of how well the service is deemed to be performing.
Has anyone noticed the Flensburg Web Cam http://31.209.185.102/view/viewer_index.shtml?id=18721
of WB Yeats fit out at the pier has had a username and password applied ?
It would make me think they don't want anyone to see it possibly may not be ready even for August now ?
Just a thought ?
maybe we should call them
Quote from: IFPete on June 11, 2018, 08:07:04 PM
maybe we should call them
They probably have more important matters to worry about tbh. We are lucky it was there in the first place given many shipyards barely have websites never mind a live video feed!
lets see what tomorrow brings,
The shipyard as learned some hard lessons here.
Quote from: Collision-course on June 09, 2018, 09:23:24 PM
The enhanced Brittany Ferries service from Cork - Roscoff is having an impact with loads well ahead of target, the Cork - Santander service has also exceeded expectations but keep in mind expectations of a new route in its second month of operation would not be overly high, from what I have seen so far most of the passenger traffic is Irish and the bulk of the HGV's are Spanish (with a surprising number of UK registered units using it also).
Talking to people involved in the operation there is strong speculation that another Brittany Ferries vessel will be added to the Cork operation next year (bringing it to a 3 ship operation), Brittany Ferries is planning to rebrand its Economie services to differentiate them from their premium product (cruise ferries), if another ship does arrive in Cork it is not yet known if it will be another Economie vessel or a cascade from Brittany Ferries own fleet.
All that said it is still early days and the winter timetables for Cork - Roscoff and Cork - Santander have yet to be published, and those will be a good indication of how well the service is deemed to be performing.
Brittany Ferries has traditionally withdrawn it's sailings ex-Cork by early November until the following March in previous years so; I'm not sure if they will do likewise next Winter following the increased capacity on Cork to Roscoff this season in addition to it's new route from Cork to Santander, Spain which began this Summer. Maybe Brittany Ferries will want to build on it's freight/cargo from Ireland to France & Spain in case of a hard BREXIT which would be problematic for Irish exporters who previously tended to use the UK as a landbridge to the European mainland. Following the delays in Irish Ferries W.B.Yeats vessel and subsequent 19,000 people affected by booking cancellations, I'm sure the other ferry operators like Brittany Ferries & Stena Line will be anxious to accommodate as many passengers as possible on their services as I've read that some Irish Ferries customers have vowed never to book with Irish Ferries again following the problems surrounding the W.B. Yeats vessel which had been due in service this Summer. Hope everyone gets sorted out properly in the end!
Indeed the year round service is a new element which is squarely aimed at the freight market, the expectation for the winter is that Pont Aven will head off onto its winter schedule and Connemara will operate its current timetable through the winter, (depending on demand, the Santander route could fall to once weekly for the winter if demand is weak), Brittany ferries fleet usually has a reshuffle around the end of October for refits and lay ups ect, if demand exists to maintain twice weekly on Roscoff and a suitable ship has schedule availability (like Bretagne) you might see something other than Pont Aven appear, but of course this is all speculation until wee see what Brittany Ferries decides after the peak season is over.
Very interesting to hear of a year-round service planned by Brittany Ferries ex-Cork especially at a time when it's main competitor from these shores, Irish Ferries may be about to cease all Rosslare-France sailings after 28th September crossing.
I wonder if Brittany Ferries has ever attempted a year round operation ex-Cork at any other point over the years or will this be a first for the operator from it's Irish base. Last time, Brittany Ferries had an additional route was around the mid-90's when they had a Cork to St.Malo service on the MV Duchess Anne if I recall correctly.
If Brittany Ferries were to use anything other than CONNEMARA to maintain a year round schedule from Cork, I imagine it would be ETRETAT to be honest.
Brittany Ferries are not noted for their freight capacity.
Quote from: IFPete on June 15, 2018, 12:04:37 PM
Brittany Ferries are not noted for their freight capacity.
Traditionally no, but in recent years they have expanded into that market, Brittany Ferries Economie is primarily targeted at freight. They now have a second freight route to Spain from Cork with Cork - Roscoff connecting with their new Roscoff - Bilbao service.
Bretagne has less than 800 lane metres and capacity for around 2000 passengers with most of them in berths. I don't know what her minimum crewing level is but IIRC she normally operates with over 100! I can't see how such a vessel could even be considered as suitable for an off-peak freight oriented service given her running costs! She is used less intensively for a reason.
Whats the difference between ETRETAT and Connamara apart from the Branding.
Quote from: Steven on June 18, 2018, 01:56:07 AM
Bretagne has less than 800 lane metres and capacity for around 2000 passengers with most of them in berths. I don't know what her minimum crewing level is but IIRC she normally operates with over 100! I can't see how such a vessel could even be considered as suitable for an off-peak freight oriented service given her running costs! She is used less intensively for a reason.
Passenger demand has exceeded expectation on the Cork- Santander route by a considerable margin, it turns out that 500 passenger spaces is less than half of what is required during the peak, and thats on an initial offering targeted at freight on an economy model, demand does appear to be enough to run a passenger vessel alongside the freight vessel, Bretagne is suitable to relieve the passenger pressure on the route but would in no way be able to replace the Connemara, as you said it simply does not have the lane meters for that, I suspect that when the charter of Connemara is up what Brittany ferries will be looking for is a RoPax with between 2500-3000 lane meters and passenger space between 1000-1500 and a matching or near matching number of cabin berths running 3 times weekly with something else providing the second (and possibly third) weekly sailing to Roscoff alongside Pont Aven. Baie de Seine is worth watching, it is due to be replaced by an E-Flexer around the time Connemara's charter expires, its possible Baie de Seine's charter might be extended depending on whats available in the charter market at the time.
if he numbers stack up there may be a sniff of competition. However these are summer peak passenger numbers and biscay is not the nicest place to be in middle of winter.
Quote from: IFPete on June 19, 2018, 08:20:44 AM
if he numbers stack up there may be a sniff of competition. However these are summer peak passenger numbers and biscay is not the nicest place to be in middle of winter.
Indeed, it will be interesting to see what the winter offering is, while indications and projections are very good, as this route is totally new it is impossible to say how it will behave until the full two years of operation are complete.
As for competition, well one can not help but notice WB Yates technical specification makes her well suited for Bay of Biscay operation, while it would be great to see Irish Ferries back in Cork, I wont be holding my breath lol
Personally i would doubt Irish Ferries would operate a dedicated service to Spain out of Cork.
If they were going to do anything they would begin with an epsilon operation out of Dublin or Rosslare.
I peronally feel they would move out of Roscoff to Brest if they got the opportunity and who knows about Spain.
At one point Irish ferries were considering a service to Spain out of Pembroke Dock.
When the Pride of Bilbao was returned from P&O, Irish Ferries looked at operating the services from Portsmouth to Bilbao themselves until St Peters Lines owners made them an offer they could not refuse to purchase the Pride of Bilbao.
Why Brest? I came through Roscoff on a friday last week and noted Pont Aven, Oscar Wilde and another BF ship all either on the one berth or in the bay. It struck me that Roscoff badly needs another berth. Does Brest have better facilities?
i believe Brest has a berth, its outside the english channel and ships going there do not need to comply with sulphur imisions regulations. Its also closer to the road network and rail network and closer to Spain and broadly similar in distance from ireland as Rosscoff is.
Quote from: IFPete on June 20, 2018, 09:42:51 PM
i believe Brest has a berth, its outside the english channel and ships going there do not need to comply with sulphur imisions regulations. Its also closer to the road network and rail network and closer to Spain and broadly similar in distance from ireland as Rosscoff is.
Brest definitely has a berth, it was used recently by CONNEMARA to avoid protests at Roscoff. I'm not sure about its availability for a regular scheduled service though. Like the rest of us, Brest will be covered by the emissions regulations from 2020.
Brest just has a link span and a berth with a chain link fence around it , no terminal or proper check in facilities customs etc . I got to use it some years ago on a return to Cork with Brittany Ferries Pont Aven due to a picket at Roscoff.
Quote from: Collision-course on June 19, 2018, 12:32:10 AM
Quote from: Steven on June 18, 2018, 01:56:07 AM
Bretagne has less than 800 lane metres and capacity for around 2000 passengers with most of them in berths. I don't know what her minimum crewing level is but IIRC she normally operates with over 100! I can't see how such a vessel could even be considered as suitable for an off-peak freight oriented service given her running costs! She is used less intensively for a reason.
Passenger demand has exceeded expectation on the Cork- Santander route by a considerable margin, it turns out that 500 passenger spaces is less than half of what is required during the peak, and thats on an initial offering targeted at freight on an economy model, demand does appear to be enough to run a passenger vessel alongside the freight vessel, Bretagne is suitable to relieve the passenger pressure on the route but would in no way be able to replace the Connemara, as you said it simply does not have the lane meters for that, I suspect that when the charter of Connemara is up what Brittany ferries will be looking for is a RoPax with between 2500-3000 lane meters and passenger space between 1000-1500 and a matching or near matching number of cabin berths running 3 times weekly with something else providing the second (and possibly third) weekly sailing to Roscoff alongside Pont Aven. Baie de Seine is worth watching, it is due to be replaced by an E-Flexer around the time Connemara's charter expires, its possible Baie de Seine's charter might be extended depending on whats available in the charter market at the time.
Maybe one of the new vessels coming on stream for Brittany Ferries could end up servicing one of their two routes now operating from Cork in addition to other services within the Brittany Ferries route network.
Both the newly named vessels: "Galicia" and "Salamanca" will be based in Portsmouth, UK and operate long-haul services to Spain. They are part of Brittany Ferries' fleet renewal and investment programme and will be the second and third new vessels to join the fleet post-Brexit. They will follow on from new LNG-powered ship "Honfleur", which is scheduled to start service on the route between Portsmouth and Caen, France from 2019.
Full article (via the below link) is courtesy of CruiseandFerry.net the online home of International Cruise & Ferry Review, a twice-yearly magazine that is also available for subscription in both printed and digital formats.
http://www.cruiseandferry.net/articles/brittany-ferries-to-name-two-new-ferries-galica-and-salamanca
There is pressure group looking at the possible effects on ireland resulting from a hard brexit.
They are looking at routes from ireland to the continent.
I would imagine the shortest sea distance to good road and rail connectivity will have a bearing on where EU funding will go after brexit. I would imagine Brest would come in for consideration as well as further investment of freight services to Cherbourg.