New passenger ferry route opens between Rosslare and Dunkirk

A new ferry service has launched between Rosslare in Co Wexford and Dunkirk in northern France.

The new service launched on Friday and offers tourists a direct ferry link between Wexford and Dunkirk for the first time.

The passenger service, which is being run by Danish shipping company DFDS, will take 24 hours to complete.

There will be up to five sailings every week with prices for a car and four passengers starting from €550 with a standard cabin and all meals included, according to Newstalk.

DFDS already operates a freight service between the two ports and said the new service would initially focus on car and motorhome traffic "with limited capacity to complement our freight traffic".

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"We launched a freight service between Rosslare and Dunkirk in January 2021 and it has proved extremely popular with customers looking to move goods between Ireland and continental Europe without the need to use the land-bridge via the UK," company spokesperson Chris Parker said in a statement.

"Adding passenger services to the route will further strengthen the service and we expect strong demand from holidaymakers in Ireland and in Northern Europe.

"Rosslare is at the heart of the ‘Sunny Southeast’ and a short drive from Dublin and Cork, making it a very popular destination. Irish customers will benefit from a direct link into the heart of Europe."

A number of passenger ferry routes already operate from Rosslare Harbour, including short journeys to Fishguard and Pembroke in Wales and a 24-hour journey to Cherbourg in northwestern France.