This was indeed a surprise piece of news – I believe it is the first time an Irish ferry company has ever operated the Dover-Calais route.
When the service starts in June (an exact date has yet to be announced) it will see Irish Ferries compete with incumbents P&O Ferries and DFDS on this busy short sea route linking the UK with France.
We are really pleased to be welcoming @Irish_Ferries to #Dover and look forward to them being part of the team! This is a clear signal of continued confidence in the #ShortStraits route and will complement the resilient services that we already provide. https://t.co/Ml3Xrcn9WE pic.twitter.com/vYHSrG2wQ4
— Port of Dover (@Port_of_Dover) March 26, 2021
Irish Ferries will be operating the Isle of Inishmore on the route. This ferry is currently rostered for the Pembroke-Rosslare service.
The company adds that “additional capacity will be added in the coming months.”
In a statement Irish Ferries said, “We are very excited about launching our services on the best short sea ferry market in the world and we believe we can bring more choice for customers in the years ahead.”
The service will be for freight along with private motorists and passengers.
Says Irish Ferries, “It is intended to offer passenger services on the route. The initial level of passenger services offered will be dependent on the easing of Covid-19 travel restrictions.”
Offering access to “foot passengers” would be welcomed by residents of Kent who have no local access to Eurostar until 2022. Instead they must backtrack to London.
Previously some savvy travellers (in the days when other operators carried foot passengers) have been known to take the ferry to France and connect on from Calais with SNCF to Lille or Paris.
Currently both P&O and DFDS do not accept foot passengers.
We shall bring you more information when available.
