Irish Ferries has cancelled the W.B. Yeats sailing scheduled to depart Dublin for Cherbourg at 16:30 on Sunday 18 October, citing “operational reasons”. Affected passengers are being offered re-routing on the 16:30 departure of the previous day, landbridge options via the UK, or a full refund. The operator has also confirmed that Saturday night’s 19:30 crossing from Cherbourg to Dublin aboard M/V Inisheer will leave up to one hour late because of high swell in the Celtic Sea. The Dublin–Cherbourg route is a key freight and passenger corridor for pharmaceutical and agri-food exporters who wish to avoid the UK landbridge. Supply-chain managers are now reallocating time-sensitive chilled loads to Brittany Ferries and Stena Line services out of Rosslare. According to shippers, the cancellation removes around 2,800 lane-metres of freight capacity at short notice. Irish Ferries has invoked EU Regulation 1177/2010, offering free transfer or refund within seven days. However, business travellers with onward rail connections in France report difficulty obtaining alternative cabins on short notice because many routes are near capacity for the mid-term school break. The company said engineers detected a minor technical fault during pre-departure checks on W.B. Yeats and chose cancellation over risking an in-service breakdown. Repairs are expected to be completed in time for Monday’s scheduled 18:30 ex-Dublin sailing, but this remains “subject to final verification”. Travellers booked on the cancelled sailing should contact disruption@irishferries.com or call +353 (0)818 300 400. Freight customers can liaise with their account managers for load-list amendments.
Source: Irish Ferries
