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Ferry Operator Cites EU ETS and Taxes in Plan to Sell Vessels, Stop Routes

Brittany Ferries
Citing the costs of the EU ETS, taxes, and COVID loans, Brittany Ferries will sell two vessels and end two routes (Brittany Ferries)

Published Jul 1, 2026 1:36 PM by The Maritime Executive

After more than 50 years of service for cargo and passengers between France and the UK, Brittany Ferries reports it must adapt and reallocate resources. The company reports it is facing large bills in 2026, coming in part from the European Union’s Emission Trading System, as well as a rising tax burden, and repayments of COVID loans.

The EU Emissions Trading System was extended to the maritime transport sector on January 1, 2024. It currently stands at 70 percent of emissions, with the final step-up to 100 percent scheduled to go into effect in 2027. Brittany Ferries highlights that it undertook a large fleet renewal project, including the introduction of two LNG-electric-hybrid ferries, Saint-Malo and Guillaume de Normandie, in 2025. 

The company claims to have the “greenest fleet” in the Channel, but it says it still faces significant bills and receives no allowances for the industry-leading investments already made in the fleet. Further, it notes that this is before the UK begins to introduce an equivalent emissions scheme for ships operating in British waters as of July 1. 

Brittany Ferries reports it faces a total bill of approximately £27 million (nearly $36 million) in 2026 from the ETS, taxes, and loan repayments. It notes it has already repaid half of the COVID-era loan it was provided when borders were closed in 2020 during the pandemic, while saying the “long tail of crisis continues.” It also cites “unfair competition on the Eastern channel,” and cost-of-living concerns among passengers.

“Brittany Ferries has a track record in adapting its business to long- and short-term challenges,” said Christophe Mathieu, CEO of Brittany Ferries. “We overcame Covid when borders were shut, we continue to wrestle with the consequences of Brexit, and we are taking steps to make a holiday in France or Spain as reasonable as possible.

The company is putting two of its older ferries, Barfluer (1992) and Cotentin (2007), up for sale. It said ships serving Guernsey, Poole, and Cherbourg would be allocated to a more efficient schedule starting November 1.

The route between Poole and Cherbourg will be closed as of November. It will provide daily service from Portsmouth to Cherbourg to make up for the closure. 

Citing the subsidized competition on the Dieppe to Newhaven route, the company said it is also looking to close its Portsmouth to Le Havre route as of October. It said it has continued to run the service as long as possible, with legal challenges still pending at the European Union in Brussels. Calling it unfair competition, it said it would have to close the route.

The company said it was working to limit the disruptions to customers and would make refunds available. However, it said it has to be realistic and adapt.