After nearly 8 years in the Baltic, the Cotentin ferry made a welcome return to the Brittany Ferries fleet.
The vessel returned to the route for which she was built in 2007, carrying freight from Poole, Dorset England to Cherbourg, Normandy France. Her first departure took place on January 1 from Cherbourg to Poole at 06:15 p.m.
The ferry flies the French flag. Cotentin is registered in Cherbourg and crewed by French seafarers.
She is assisting the United Kingdom as it emerges at the end of Brexit transition period. Cotentin operates as part of a contract secured by Brittany Ferries with the government’s Department for Transport to support the transit of essential freight beyond short sea routes.
This contract guarantees space on a pair of Brittany Ferries routes, for goods such as medical supplies leaving the EU destined for the UK. The contract guarantees freight space for the government on the service linking Portsmouth England with Le Havre France.
Cotentin ferry is scheduled to serve Poole-Cherbourg until the beginning of April 2021, initially in freight-only mode. The vessel will depart from Poole at 08.30 am and arrive in Cherbourg at 02:00 pm. For the return trip, she will depart Cherbourg at 06:15 pm except for Tuesdays when she will leave at 09:45 pm.
In April, the Barfleur ferry will take over on the Poole-Cherbourg route. Cotentin will switch to the Portsmouth-Le Havre route, replacing the Etretat ferry, which will return to Stena RoRo as her charter ends.
In 2013, Cotentin left the Brittany Ferries fleet and was chartered to Stena Line bearing the name Stena Baltica.