HAROPA Port and Brittany Ferries launch new Ireland-Le Havre freight service

Brittany Ferries is launching a new freight service between the Port of Le Havre, Normandy, and the town of Rosslare in Ireland.

Underpinned by the dynamic generated by reorganisation of trade between Ireland and the European continent, this service provides one weekly return trip, which began 12 November.

The service can carry 120 driver-accompanied freight (containerised) units on each trip between Le Havre and Rosslare.

The creation of this new service between Le Havre and Rosslare is the practical outcome of the efforts made by HAROPA PORT – serving the ports of ports of Le Havre, Rouen and Paris – and Brittany Ferries in the wake of Brexit, working hand-in-hand with a range of Irish economic and institutional actors.

The new service provides an additional solution for connecting Ireland with the EU Single Market via France – one long awaited by players in the logistics sector in France and Ireland.

HAROPA PORT and Le Havre city authority are supportive of the consolidation of these new trade flows that will benefit from the logistics capacity offered by Le Havre’s industrial/port complex and industrial synergies between Ireland and Normandy, especially relating to fresh produce and medical products.


Left to right: Caroline Leclercq, deputy mayor with responsibility for international relations; Jean-Baptiste Gastinne, deputy mayor with responsibility for urban planning and the environment; Jean-Marc Roué, chair of the supervisory board of Brittany Ferries; Thomas Byrne, Minister of State for European Affairs of the Republic of Ireland; Édouard Philippe, Mayor of Le Havre; Daniel Havis, chair of the HAROPA PORT supervisory board; Stéphane Raison, CEO and chair of HAROPA PORT management board. © Nautilus / HAROPA PORT
Stéphane Raison, CEO of HAROPA PORT, commented, “HAROPA PORT is pleased to have contributed to the launch of this new service operated by Brittany Ferries, a long-standing partner for freight activities in Le Havre.

“As the leading French port, we wish to play our role to the full and we are all the more delighted to see this new service providing a fast maritime connection between the Paris consumer area and Ireland”.

Thomas Byrne, Minister of State for European Affairs of the Republic of Ireland, noted, “I wish to salute here the senior management of Brittany Ferries and HAROPA PORT for the clear-sightedness they have shown in grasping the strategic value and importance of this service.

“The fact that this direct link is now operational is a tribute to the perseverance and vision of its stakeholders.

“The full bookings announced for the maiden voyage are an excellent start. Confronted with the dual challenge posed by Brexit and the pandemic, these routes, which the media call “Brexit Busters”, have turned out to be crucial in maintaining the frequency of flows with the Single Market and the European continent as a whole”.

https://www.porttechnology.org/news/haropa-port-and-brittany-ferries-launch-new-ireland-le-havre-freight-service/