Brittany Ferries signs 20-year Portsmouth deal

Cross-Channel ferry operator Brittany Ferries has signed a new 20-year contract to sail from a south coast port.

It means the French company will continue cross-Channel services from Portsmouth's council-owned port until 2044.

Portsmouth City Council said it will bring the city £200m over the two decades.

Brittany Ferries carries 1.5 million passengers and 200,000 lorries a year through Portsmouth to France and Spain, though tourist numbers have not quite recovered to levels seen before the pandemic.

Work is under way at the port to increase the National Grid power supply to enable ferries and cruise ships to plug in to shoreside power while they are berthed, shutting down their main engines to reduce pollution.

Three ships at a time will be able to charge their batteries, using power equivalent to half the entire city's energy consumption.

The work is due to be completed for the first of new Chinese-built ships for Brittany Ferries, which will carry passengers from February.

The BBC understands the port contract does not oblige the ferry company to buy electricity, which is expected to be much more costly than keeping its liquefied natural gas-fuelled engines running while in port.

Councillor Steve Pitt, leader of Portsmouth City Council, said: "Our relationship with Brittany Ferries is hugely significant for the city, especially since they have been with the port when it began operating in 1976."

Brittany Ferries, which is the majority shareholder in Condor Ferries serving the Channel Islands, also operates from Plymouth and Poole.

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