Photo: Brittany Ferries press materials

Brittany Ferries: Ireland freight routes have stood out in growth terms

In its 2022 financial results, Brittany Ferries has revealed that in stark contrast to cross channel routes to and from the UK, routes between Ireland and mainland Europe have observed significant freight traffic growth.

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The ferry operator’s figures show that over 2021 and 2022, freight traffic on its Ireland – France and Spain routes increased by 272% over pre-pandemic levels.

By comparison, freight traffic on all UK – France and Spain routes was down 17%.

According to Brittany Ferries, Brexit had a significant influence on the figures:

“Freight volumes reached 167,711 units last year, well down on pre-Covid and pre-Brexit volumes. This reduction was largely attributable to reduced volumes on Channel routes, but once again, Ireland stood out in terms of growth for the year. This was largely a consequence of trade flows shifting due to Brexit, as hauliers sought alternatives to the UK landbridge when transporting goods between mainland Europe and Ireland.”

Overall, across all its operations, Brittany Ferries reported a profit of €22.6M, with a total turnover of €444,7 M last year. This was more than double the preceding year’s turnover of €202.4 M and just €22M shy of turnover recorded in the 2018-2019 financial year (the last pre-Brexit and Covid financial year).