From November, a daily ferry to the UK will operate from Guernsey, while passenger and freight connections will also improve, the company operating it said.

Brittany Ferries’ direct route to Portsmouth will increase from six to seven sailings a week, while a new triangular route via Cherbourg will increase passenger capacity, open a new French port to islanders and create new trade opportunities, a spokesperson said.

Christophe Mathieu, Chief Executive, said: “From this winter, Guernsey will have a choice of five destinations by sea with Brittany Ferries: Portsmouth, Poole, Cherbourg, St Malo and Jersey.

“That means more choice for passengers and more connectivity for freight and logistics, which is good news for islanders, for tourism and for local businesses, especially retailers.”

The increased connectivity with mainland France presents an opportunity to import more food from France, with Deputy Sasha Kazantseva-Miller, President of Economic Development, confirming the government is in talks with a French supermarket.

Strategic priority

Deputy Kazantseva-Miller said: “The new timetable provides Guernsey with a daily service while maintaining the freight and passenger capacity the island depends on.

“It is a strategic priority for the Committee to develop longer-term economic resilience and supply-chain diversification.

“Given the impact of climate change on food security and increasing geo-political instability, we cannot take for granted where our food and essential goods come from and right now nearly 100% of our supply-chain is tied to the UK.”

The new route opens up a new access to western Europe through existing Brittany Ferries infrastructure that operates from Cherbourg.

Mr Mathieu explained: “It connects seamlessly with our daily multimodal rail service from Cherbourg to Bayonne, giving unaccompanied hauliers straightforward access to southwest France and the Iberian Peninsula.”

Year of the Norman

Aside from trade opportunities, access to a Normandy port comes just in time for the Year of the Norman, with islanders now easily able to access the Cotentin peninsula and make the most of the festivities.

For those skipping Cherbourg but are on that triangular route, they will still require their passport to comply with UK re-entry requirements.

The timetable is the latest development in the 15-year contract between Brittany Ferries and the States of Guernsey, who say that freight costs have already come down by 14%.

Deputy Kazantseva-Miller added: “We have an excellent relationship with Brittany Ferries and have worked closely with them on this new schedule. It is important that the organisation develops in a way which is sustainable and competitive.

“In the short period of operation of our new contract with Brittany Ferries, we have already seen some excellent results both for passengers and tourism as well as freight service delivery and pricing and these proposals are further steps in enabling Guernsey’s sea connectivity resilience and sustainability.”