A new direct ferry service out of Rosslare Europort Ireland to Dunkirk France is being heralded as an addition to the slate of shipping options to replace the United Kingdom landbridge amid fears of delays.
The new service will be operated by DFDS (Danish passenger shipping company) and run 6 times weekly, starting from January 2, 2021.
The additional route means 13x each-way direct crossings between Ireland and Europe during peak times.
According to Ireland's Transport Minister Eamon Ryan, the service was a “welcome addition” of capacity as the Brexit transition phase ended. Ryan added he urged businesses to take advantage of the new routes "as a real alternative to avoid the inevitable delays that will be experienced on the UK Landbridge.”
Ireland's Government is now urging businesses, hauliers and freight logistics companies to consider switching to direct shipping routes to mainland Europe to avoid the delays involved in transiting through the UK.
Crossing time for the new Rosslare-Dunkirk route is 24 hours - longer than to other French ports - such as Roscoff or Cherbourg, but it leaves travelers within 3 hours from Paris (Le Havre) and 20 minutes from the France-Belgium border.
The route is expected to be attractive for inbound and outbound tourism when COVID travel restrictions are eased.