curdle Posted May 13, 2021 Share Posted May 13, 2021 Quite a few news reports stating that Brittany Ferries are looking at the introduction of a Plymouth or Portsmouth to Porto ferry route to take advantage of the green status for Portuguese travel. Should be extremely popular if it happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
costaexpress Posted May 13, 2021 Share Posted May 13, 2021 Certainly be an exciting additional option, although if you are unlucky enough to get 30 hours of rough seas you may not think so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikefitz Posted May 13, 2021 Share Posted May 13, 2021 Unlikely for vehicles as Porto does not have a RoRo dock. However Portimão in the Algarve does have a RoRo terminal and the infrastructure that's needed, such as customs, parking, check in booths and so on. It was set up and used for a ferry service to Madeira, now discontinued. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted May 14, 2021 Share Posted May 14, 2021 This is being discussed on the Brittany Ferries Enthusiasts (BFE) forum. https://bfenthusiasts.com/bfe/topic/13824-portugal-route/ The idea seems to have come from a few press articles that mention the possibility of a Plymouth/Portsmouth-Porto route https://www.business-live.co.uk/enterprise/brittany-ferries-mulls-sailings-portugal-20572719 https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/ferry-uk-portugal-green-list-b1846174.html https://www.portsmouth.co.uk/business/consumer/brittany-ferries-considers-running-ferry-service-to-portugal-from-portsmouth-to-capitalise-on-countrys-green-light-travel-status-3234185 As Mike has highlighted, BFE members expressed doubts about docking facilities at the Portuguese end and over which Brittany Ferries vessels might be suitable. The Shippax website carries the following information Brittany Ferries has confirmed to Shippax that it might operate a Plymouth-Leixões summer-only service, something first revealed by local media. If it happens, the new passenger-focused service is due to start in late May for an initial period of six weeks. Depending on the success, Brittany Ferries doesn't exclude the new service to be extended beyond the six weeks. The idea to start this new service is entirely because Portugal is one of the few countries on the 'green' COVID-19 list of the UK government which means that residents only need to test (negative) once without the need to quarantine when arriving back in the UK. Both Spain and Portugal are still on the 'amber' list, meaning passengers have to be tested and fill out a locator form prior to returning to the UK, with a mandatory 10-day quarantine and regular testing when back home. A Brittany Ferries spokesperson told Shippax that it was working hard to make this new temporary twice weekly service happen, yet there were still a lot of 'ifs' and 'buts'. Should it prove successful and should there be a strong demand after mid-July, Brittany Ferries might decide to continue a weekly call with either CAP FINISTERE or PONT-AVEN making a weekly roundtrip from Plymouth to Santander and Leixões, respectively. Plymouth-Leixões is a distance of 612 nautical miles with crossings taking 30 hours, Brittany Ferries said. CAP FINISTERE can reach a speed of 28 knots and has a capacity of 1,608 passengers and 1,926 lanemetres whilst Brittany Ferries flagship PONT-AVEN has a 27-knot service speed and a capacity of 2,100 passengers and 1,465 lanemetres. It was suggested on the BFE forum that by the time the necessary logistics (and arguments) over the UK-Portugal route had been sorted out, Spain would quite likely have gone on to the UK ‘green list’, which would make Portugal a much less attractive destination. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted May 21, 2021 Share Posted May 21, 2021 Copied from today’s Brittany Ferries “Club Voyage” newsletter: As you may have seen in recent media coverage, we’re looking seriously at the potential of a UK to Porto route, to commence in June. A firm decision should be made imminently following discussions with port partners in the UK and Portugal. Portsmouth or Plymouth will be the UK departure point offering twice weekly return sailings. If it goes ahead this would be the first time in more than 40 years that Brittany Ferries has opened a route to a new country and will offer travellers the opportunity to avoid airport hassles and sail direct to the first major tourist destination to make it onto the UK government’s green list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerrycan Posted May 24, 2021 Share Posted May 24, 2021 It looks like Brittany Ferries has shelved the idea of this route. At least for the time being! https://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/news/brittany-ferries-abandons-plymouth-portugal-5447575 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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