Brittany Ferries secures early Saint Malo sailing for 2026 after strong first season

Brittany Ferries has confirmed it will retain an early-morning departure from Saint Malo to Guernsey in 2026, following what the company described as a highly successful first full season on the route.

The ferry operator said its high-speed vessel Voyager will depart the Breton port at 8.15am next summer, arriving in Guernsey at 9.15am local time. The sailing is just 15 minutes later than this year’s schedule and is intended to support further growth in passenger and freight traffic to the island and onward to the UK.

The timings were agreed after discussions with the Brittany region and port operator EDEIS, which manages Saint Malo.

Brittany Ferries reported strong performance across its Saint Malo operations this year. Passenger numbers through the port rose by 14.1% compared with 2024, while freight traffic increased by 48.1%. The Guernsey route itself grew by 55% during its first season.

The company said it carried around 15,000 passengers between Poole and Saint Malo via Guernsey in 2025, providing a new high-speed connection between Brittany, Dorset and the south-west of England.

Chief executive Christophe Mathieu said the confirmed timings would allow the company to build on that success.

“We are obviously delighted to have secured these optimal timings as it allows us to continue developing services following such a positive first season,” he said.

He added that the growth in freight and passenger numbers underlined the importance of Brittany Ferries to Saint Malo, and said the new schedule would help optimise daily arrivals and departures alongside the company’s Portsmouth service, operated by the vessel Saint Malo.

Mr Mathieu also suggested that recent comments from the Government of Jersey and ferry operator DFDS had been premature, saying discussions over timings were still ongoing at the time of their announcement.

Looking ahead, Brittany Ferries said it planned to further expand both passenger and freight services between Saint Malo, the Bailiwick and the UK. The company is also continuing talks with the States of Guernsey about increasing freight volumes, following three trade delegations earlier this year.

Brittany Ferries operates scheduled services from Saint Malo to Guernsey, Poole and Portsmouth.