A new ferry connection between Boulogne-sur-Mer in northern France and Cork in southern Ireland is aiming to offer an alternative to air travel while giving freight operators a direct route into continental Europe.
Operated by Irish company Hibernia Line in partnership with logistics group Goodman, the service was launched in June and runs six days a week. The crossing takes around 21 hours, with peak-season fares for a single passenger travelling without a car ranging from roughly €350 to €500 for a cabin.
The route faces established competition from other French ports serving Ireland. Ferries currently connect Cherbourg with Dublin, Roscoff with Cork, and Dunkirk with Rosslare, with crossing times ranging from around 13 to 24 hours.
Hibernia Line chief executive Aidan Coffey believes Boulogne has a geographical advantage. The port is around two and a half hours from both Paris and Brussels and is also relatively close to major Belgian cities such as Bruges and Antwerp.
The company is particularly targeting French and German caravan and motorhome travellers who want to reach Ireland without passing through the UK.
Turning the crossing into a mini-cruise
Hibernia Line is also trying to make the long journey part of the holiday experience rather than simply a means of transportation.
The company’s two vessels, the Akka and the St. Patrick, offer cabins, restaurants and recreational facilities. Plans include adding a cinema and sauna, reinforcing the company’s ambition to market the crossing as a kind of mini-cruise.
Boulogne-sur-Mer Mayor Frédéric Cuvillier welcomed the return of ferry services to the port after a 15-year absence, describing the Irish connection as a major economic opportunity for the city.
Local authorities are also hoping to attract more Irish visitors to Boulogne and the surrounding region.
The company ultimately expects around 50 cars and 50 trucks to use the route each day, with an average of approximately 400 passengers per sailing. That would translate into roughly 250,000 passengers a year.
The vessels have significantly greater capacity, however, with room for up to 700 passengers and 110 cargo units.
Freight is key to the business model
While tourists are an important part of the strategy, freight is central to the route’s commercial prospects.
Coffey argues that Boulogne provides Irish exporters with convenient access to France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. Ireland sends large quantities of pharmaceuticals, beef and other goods to continental Europe, making a direct maritime connection particularly attractive to logistics companies.
The fishing industry in Boulogne is also expected to benefit. The city’s fishing port, the largest in France, has invested in modernising its facilities as part of the broader effort to strengthen the port’s role.
Some hauliers are already seeing advantages in the new route. Drivers using the previous Dunkirk-Rosslare connection had to make the additional journey from Rosslare to Cork after arriving in Ireland.
The direct Boulogne-Cork service removes much of that extra road travel. Irish transport company O’Toole has already established an office in Boulogne and plans to handle around 150 trucks a week.
Brexit strengthens the case for a direct route
One of Hibernia Line’s strongest selling points is the ability to avoid the UK’s road and ferry network.
Since Brexit, Irish companies transporting goods to the European Union through Britain have faced additional administrative requirements, potential delays and higher costs. The so-called UK Land Bridge remains an important trade route, but the new ferry connection offers hauliers a way to reach continental Europe without crossing British territory.
That advantage could become particularly important for companies moving time-sensitive or high-value goods.
Still, the new service is in its early stages. When the St. Patrick departed Boulogne at 10 p.m., the vessel was far from full and only a small number of French passengers were on board.
Hibernia Line has yet to publish performance figures for its two ferries, which were acquired from other operators.
Coffey said the company was only beginning to build its customer base and stressed that a route of this scale would take time to mature.
Hibernia Line has created 25 shore-based jobs through the new service, but reaching profitability will require passenger and freight volumes to grow substantially.
For now, the company is betting that a direct connection between Ireland and continental Europe can turn a 21-hour ferry journey into both a viable freight corridor and a new way for tourists to travel between the two markets.
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