DFDS Gives Progress Report on Sailing Schedules

DFDS can today provide a progress report on the sailing schedules between Jersey and Poole and Portsmouth in the UK. DFDS will be serving the island with two high-speed craft, a conventional passenger vessel and a dedicated freight vessel, with plenty of scope to add departures to this schedule where there is demand.

DFDS are continuing to work with stakeholders on the island to build in feedback on the schedules, which will be completed before the launch of the booking platform at the end of the month.

The schedules between Jersey and the UK includes a return, direct service to the UK on most days of the week,  ensuring consistent and reliable connectivity for local islanders, allowing people to start planning their immediate travel. On a weekly basis, the services will have the capacity to accommodate an average of 15,000 passengers in peak season.

Chris Parker, Route Director for Jersey, said: “We are conscious that islanders are waiting for more information about our services, and we want to give an update on where we are to be transparent about the timetables to enable travellers to start to plan their travel. The schedules allow us to offer reliable and frequent services to local islanders and visitors from the UK, ensuring consistent connectivity, and we have flexibility to add extra departures in response to the feedback we are receiving ..

“We will continue to develop and enhance our services for islanders over the coming months, working closely with industry bodies and the Government, encouraging feedback, and operating with transparency and integrity.”

DFDS is currently preparing the sailing vessels for operation, with sailings to Portsmouth starting from 28th March 2025 and those to Poole set to commence from mid-April. Between Jersey and Poole DFDS will operate the high-speed craft, Levante Jet, a relatively new vessel that can carry up to 675 passengers. The later starting date for the service to Poole is to enable DFDS to complete a £1.5m refit of the vessel, refurbishing accommodation and upgrading our restaurant and shopping experiences onboard.  

Between Jersey and Portsmouth DFDS will operate the 125-meter-long vessel, Stena Vinga, which can carry up to 400 passengers and 200 cars and has a freight capacity of 1500 lane meters. The vessel was built in 2005 and is equipped with 40 cabins, a restaurant, a duty-free shop, a cinema and a recliner lounge.

DFDS is in the process of finalising the sailing schedules for St. Malo and expect these to be published next week. DFDS is also committed to working with Jersey and Guernsey, and other ferry operators, to provide inter-island links.   

Bookings for all services will open by the 31st of January and DFDS will be running a joint campaign with Visit Jersey to promote travel to the island.