Cancelled Portsmouth Ferry Reassigned to St Malo Route
- markdarrenwilkinso
- Apr 4
- 1 min read
Portsmouth Ferry Cancelled as DFDS Prioritises St Malo Route Amid Technical Delays
Ferry operator DFDS has confirmed it cancelled a scheduled sailing from Jersey to Portsmouth on Wednesday to redeploy the vessel to the St Malo route.
The company said the Stena Vinga was reassigned due to the unavailability of the high-speed Tarifa Jet, which is still awaiting approval from the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency to carry passengers.
To fill the gap, DFDS had planned to use a backup vessel, Côte D'Albâtre, for the Portsmouth route. However, the ship was not available in time, forcing the cancellation of the sailing. Côte D'Albâtre was expected to resume service from Portsmouth on Thursday after arriving from Dieppe.
Passengers affected by the cancellation were notified on Wednesday evening, with DFDS offering free booking changes and accommodation arrangements. Chris Parker, DFDS Jersey Route Director, issued an apology: “We apologise to customers affected by these changes and appreciate their understanding and patience. Our focus remains on ensuring passengers can travel with minimal disruption.”
The disruption comes as DFDS begins its new 20-year contract to operate ferry services on the route. Its inaugural passenger sailing between Jersey and St Malo was already cancelled last week due to technical issues with the Tarifa Jet.
