CAR AND foot passengers due to sail between Cork and Roscoff in Brittany at the weekend have been accommodated on other ferry services between France and Ireland after Brittany Ferries was forced to cancel sailings due to strike action by French crew members.
A Brittany Ferries spokeswoman confirmed that 200 car owners due to sail from Roscoff to Cork on Friday night were diverted to Cherbourg where they were accommodated on Irish Ferries and Celtic Link services between Cherbourg and Rosslare.
She said some 300 outgoing car owners due to leave Cork on Saturday for Roscoff on the MV Pont Aven were directed to Rosslare and accommodated on Irish Ferries and Celtic Link services to Cherbourg.
The service between Cork and Roscoff, scheduled to continue until the end of October, remains suspended as talks failed.
The dispute has also hit services between Portsmouth and Plymouth and France and Spain.
Brittany Ferries communications director in the UK Stephen Tuckwell yesterday apologised to passengers. Mr Tuckwell told the BBC: “The dispute centres on allowances that were given to staff in the good times, but now that we’re facing a third year of losses, we need to safeguard the business and the interests of our crew.”
The Irish Times was unable to contact any spokesperson for the striking crew’s union.
