The new service will start at the end of April.
Brittany Ferries has announced the first ever direct ferry route from Ireland to Spain with a service that will link Cork and Santander starting in April of this year.
The announcement was made on Tuesday to celebrate Brittany Ferries’ 40th year in Ireland, with the popular Cork to Roscoff route opening on St. Patrick’s Day in 1978.
A new ship, Connemara, will be chartered to serve the Cork to Santander route for two return sailings a week, as well as also delivering an additional weekly return-sailing from Cork to Roscoff.
The ship is currently operating on routes between Italy and Greece and will be chartered from Stena RoRo for an initial period of two years. She will carry around 500 passengers with space for 195 cars. She hosts 2,225 lane metres of garage space and Brittany Ferries expects a 50/50 split between passengers and freight carried.
Passengers can expect a comfortable, no-frills service with a distinctly Spanish theme on board, while there will be a small shop, a café-bar and passenger lounges.
Interior and exterior cabins have beds that can accommodate up to four passengers, while there will be a small allocation of pet-friendly cabins on the ship.
The new service from Brittany Ferries is expected to be on sale by the end of January.
“This is a significant move for Brittany Ferries, offering haulage companies a direct route to Spain and passengers a far greater range of holiday options from Cork,” said Hugh Bruton, General Manager of Brittany Ferries Ireland.
“As a destination, so-called green Spain promises visitors a wealth of opportunities. It hosts sweeping sandy beaches, snow-covered mountains just an hour from the port, fabulous food and offers visitors a welcome as warm as the Spanish will receive when they join us in Ireland.”
Commercial Manager Captain Michael McCarthy of the Port of Cork added: “The Port of Cork wholeheartedly welcomes a service we have been trying as a port to establish for some time now. We are delighted that our long term customer, Brittany Ferries, has committed to this new service which will see an increase in tourism and freight.
“The option for freight carriers to bypass the UK land bridge will be seen as very attractive, as Brexit uncertainty continues. We have no doubt that both exporters and importers will make this a viable service.”
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