United Kingdom Ferry Operations

by Bill Moses

The United Kingdom's ferry route network can be best analysed in four main sectors, namely Channel - Short Sea; Western Channel; Irish Sea and North Sea. The following list includes domestic, near continent and long distance services emanating from United Kingdom ports.

Standards levels vary greatly as does competition and the volume of trade.

Most international services have suffered the after effects of the loss of duty-free sales, and, at a time when volumes and revenue were showing signs of recovery, the Foot & Mouth crisis dampened spirits once more.

Domestic fares are stable in nature with few special offers in the off-peak and winter periods to stimulate trade. On international routes tariffs can be complex in nature with significant variations depending upon time of day, week, month and year. Winter traffic can be priced very cheaply in an effort to encourage people to travel.

Freight has been the main saviour to a number of ferry operations both large and small within Europe. On most routes freight growth has been predictably steady and above average in percentage terms. There has even been some success on the part of ferry companies to increase prices to their freight clients at a time when the passenger sector has witnessed reductions in tariff.

Check-in times for freight and passengers vary, but in basic terms a passenger will be required to report for embarkation at least 30 minutes, and often one hour prior to the published sailing time whilst freight is more likely to be in the range 1 to 2 hours.

(Channel - Short Sea) Hoverspeed Norfolkline P&O Stena Line SeaFrance TransEuropa Ferries (Western Channel) Brittany Ferries Condor Ferries Commodore Hoverspeed P&O European Ferries (Portsmouth) Red Funnel Transmanche Ferries Wightlink (Irish Sea) Irish Ferries Isle of Mann Steam Packet Co NorseMerchant Ferries P&O Irish Ferries Seacat Scotland Seatruck Stena Line Swansea Cork Ferries (North Sea) Cobelfret Dart Line DFDS DFDS Seaways DFDS Tor Line Ferryways Fjord Line Norfolkline P&O North Sea Ferries P&O Scottish Ferries Sammarina Line Smyril Line Stena Line

Channel - Short Sea
The Short Sea ferry sector is epitomised by those services, which operate from Ramsgate and Dover in the UK to Zeebrugge and Ostend in Belgium and Dunkerque and Calais in France. Current services comprise of the following operators:-

Ramsgate-Ostend 4 hour crossing
TransEuropa Ferries

Dover-Zeebrugge 4 hour crossing
P&O Stena Line

Dover-Ostend 2 hour crossing
Hoverspeed

Dover-Dunkerque 2 hour crossing
Norfolkline (an AP Moller/Maersk subsidiary)

Dover-Calais 75 minute crossing conventional/50 minutes fast ferry
P&O Stena Line
SeaFrance
Hoverspeed

More on Short Sea

Western Channel
Newhaven-Dieppe 4 hours conventional/2 hours fast ferry
Transmanche Ferries
Hoverspeed (seasonal)

Poole-St Malo
Condor Ferries

Portsmouth-Le Havre 6/8hours
P&O European Ferries (Portsmouth)

Portsmouth-St Malo
Brittany Ferries

Portsmouth-Santander
Brittany Ferries

Portsmouth-Bilbao 36 hours
P&O European Ferries (Portsmouth)

Portsmouth-Cherbourg 5 hours conventional
Condor Ferries
P&O European Ferries

Portsmouth-St Malo 8 h 45 mins conventional/4 h 40 mins fast ferry
Brittany Ferries
Condor Ferries

Portsmouth-Caen 6 hours - 6 hours 15 mins
Brittany Ferries

Portsmouth-Channel Islands 6.5-9 hours
Commodore

Portsmouth-Fishbourne, Isle of Wight 35 minutes
Wightlink

Portsmouth-Ryde, Isle of Wight 15 minutes
Wightlink

Lymington-Yarmouth, Isle of Wight 30 minutes
Wightlink

Southampton-West Cowes, Isle of Wight 22 minutes
Red Funnel

Southampton-East Cowes, Isle of Wight 55 minutes
Red Funnel

Poole-Guernsey (Channel Islands) 2 hours 30 minutes
Condor Ferries

Poole-Jersey (Channel Islands) 3 hours
Condor Ferries

Poole-Cherbourg 4 hours 15 mins-5 h 45 minutes conventional
Truckline Ferries
Condor Ferries

Poole-Cherbourg 2 hours 15 mins fast ferry
Brittany Ferries

Plymouth-Roscoff 6 hours-7 hours 30 minutes
Brittany Ferries

Plymouth-Santander 24 hours
Brittany Ferries

Weymouth-Channel Islands 2-2 hours 15 minutes fast ferry
Condor Ferries

Weymouth-St Malo 5 hours 30 minutes
Condor Ferries

Roscoff-Cork 14 hours
Brittany Ferries

More on Western Channel

Irish Sea
Cherbourg-Rosslare 18-20 hours
P&O Irish Ferries

Pembroke-Rosslare 3 hours 45 minutes
Irish Ferries

Swansea-Cork 10 hours
Swansea Cork Ferries

Fishguard-Rosslare 3 hrs 30 mins conventional/1 h 50 mins fast ferry
Stena Line

Mostyn-Dublin 6 hours/7 hours 30 minutes
P&O Irish Ferries

Holyhead-Dublin 3 hours
Irish Ferries
Stena Line

Holyhead-Dun Laoghaire 1 hour 40 minutes fast ferry
Stena Line (HSS)

Liverpool-Dublin 8-9 hours conventional/4 hours fast ferry
NorseMerchant Ferries
Isle of Mann Steam Packet Co
P&O Irish Ferries

Liverpool-Isle of Mann 4 hours conventional/2.5 hours fast ferry
Isle of Mann Steam Packet Co

Liverpool-Belfast 8.5 hours
NorseMerchant Ferries

Heysham-Isle of Mann 3 hours 30 mins conventional/2 h fast ferry
Isle of Mann Steam Packet Co

Heysham-Belfast 4 hours fast ferry
NorseMerchant Ferries
Seacat Scotland

Heysham-Warrenpoint 9 hours
Seatruck

Fleetwood-Larne 8 hours
P&O Irish Ferries

Troon-Larne 4.5 hours
P&O Irish Ferries

Troon-Belfast 2.5 hours fast ferry
Seacat Scotland

Stranraer-Belfast 3 hrs 15 mins conventional/1 hr 45 mins fast ferry
Stena Line
Stena Line (HSS)

Isle of Man-Belfast 2 h 45 minutes fast ferry
Isle of Man Steam Packet Co

Isle of Mann-Dublin 4 h 45 mins conventional/2 h 45 minutes fast ferry
Isle of Man Steam Packet Co

Cairnryan-Larne 1 hour 45 minutes conventional/1 hour fast ferry
P&O Irish Ferries

More on Irish Sea

North Sea
Lerwick-Bergen 14 hours
Smyril Line

Lerwick-Torshavn/Seydisfj. 13 hours 30 minutes/15 hours
Smyril Line

Scrabster-Stromness (Orkney) 1 hour 45 minutes
P&O Scottish Ferries

Aberdeen - Stromness 10 hours
P&O Scottish Ferries

Lerwick (Shetland)- Stromness 8 hours
P&O Scottish Ferries

Aberdeen- Lerwick (Shetland) 14 hours
P&O Scottish Ferries

Newcastle- Stravanger 20 hours
Fjord Line

Newcastle-Ijmuiden (Amsterdam) 16 hours
DFDS Seaways

Newcastle-Kristiansand 17 hours 15 minutes
DFDS Seaways

Newcastle-Kristiansand-Gothenburg 25 hours 30 minutes
DFDS Seaways

Hull-Rotterdam 10 hours
P&O North Sea Ferries

Hull-Zeebrugge 12.5-13 hours
P&O North Sea Ferries

Immingham-Esbjerg 20 hours 30 minutes
DFDS Tor Line

Immingham-Brevik 35 hours
DFDS Tor Line

Immingham-Cuxhaven 24 hours
DFDS Seaways

Immingham - Gothenburg 26 hours
DFDS Tor Line

Felixstowe-Scheveningen 7 hours
Norfolkline

Felixstowe-Rotterdam 7 hours 30 minutes
P&O North Sea Ferries

Felixstowe-Zeebrugge 9 hours
P&O North Sea Ferries

Harwich-Esbjerg 18 hours
DFDS Tor Line

Harwich-Gothenburg 13 hours
DFDS Tor Line

Harwich-Cuxhaven 16 hours 45 minutes
DFDS

Harwich-Hook of Holland 9 hrs conventional/3 hrs 50 mins fast ferry
Stena Line
Stena Line (HSS)

Ipswich-Ostend 7 hours day/9 hours night
Ferryways

Purfleet-Rotterdam 12 hours
Cobelfret

Pufleet-Zeebrugge 8 hours
Coblefret

Dartford-Vlissingen 9 hours 30 minutes
Dart Line

Dartford-Zeebrugge 8 hours
Dart Line

Dartford-Dunkerque 6 hours 45 minutes
Dart Line

Sheerness-Zeebrugge 7 hours
Sammarina Line

More on North Sea

THE AUTHOR

Bill Moses MA has had a long distinguished and above all, varied career in the ferry industry which begun in 1970 when he came ashore having served as a deck officer. During that time he has worked with and been responsible for a total of 56 ships ranging from 30 year old hovercraft through to state of the art newbuildings, conventional freight and passenger ferries and a cruise vessel.

The range and variety of vessels is a truly remarkable record of who's who in the ferry industry and the experience gained is equally unique. In his time as head of Hoverspeed, Stena, Sealink and Sally Line on the short sea he has been responsible for a number of newbuildings and major conversions.

His knowledgeable insight into the ferry industry is both forthright and accurate. Bill manages vessels worldwide and provides advice on the many facets of the global ferry industry and markets.

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Posted with permission from Bill Moses.

02/07/20