Due to crew members falling ill, a Brittany Ferries vessel en route to Plymouth UK (England) underwent a diversion. As a precautionary measure, the Pont Aven ship was redirected to Port Brest (France), allowing the affected staff to receive necessary medical attention.
Setting sail from Santander (Spain) at 5 pm UK time (16:00 UTC) on Monday (August 7th), the ferry Pont Aven reached Brest at 11:30 French time (9:30 UTC), following an announcement to passengers.
A communication was issued, explaining that the ferry had to change course to Brest "due to a medical reason," and several emergency vehicles were observed at the French port.
Brittany Ferries has subsequently verified that "a number of crew members on board Brittany Ferries' Pont-Aven reported being unwell," leading to "a few crew being disembarked."
No passengers were reportedly affected by illness. As of 2:40 pm, the ship had yet to depart from Brest.
The original schedule anticipated the Pont Aven's arrival in Plymouth at ~3:39 pm on the same day.
Brittany Ferries apologized to passengers affected by the diversion. A spokesperson for the company said they were sorry for the delay to Pont-Aven’s sailing into Plymouth.
"Due to sickness among several crew members, the ship was diverted to Brest. After attendance by medical staff and the French authorities, the ship has now been cleared to leave. Her arrival in Plymouth is now expected around 10pm."