Brittany Ferries charters Vizzavona as Wexford for Rosslare-Cherbourg from 2027
The French-flagged RoPax replaces the freight-oriented Norbay and adds 146 cabins on the Ireland-France route
Brittany Ferries has chartered the RoPax ferry Vizzavona for its route between Cherbourg and Rosslare. Renamed Wexford, she will enter service in March 2027 and replace Norbay, a freight ship the company has had on temporary charter.
Wexford will fly the French flag and be crewed by French seafarers. She will make three return crossings a week between Rosslare and Cherbourg, plus one weekly Portsmouth-Cherbourg rotation. Tickets for her 2027 sailings are due to go on sale by the end of October.
The ship can carry up to 500 passengers and has 146 cabins, with space for around 130 cars and 2,500 lane metres of vehicle capacity. Norbay, oriented to freight, limited passenger numbers on the route because of her small cabin capacity. Wexford is meant to lift holiday traffic from Ireland to Normandy while keeping substantial freight capacity on the link between Ireland and mainland Europe. Built in 1999, she takes over from a 1994-built ship.
With Wexford, five ships will serve Ireland: Salamanca, Wexford, Clipper, Armorique and Pont-Aven. Together they will offer up to seven return sailings a week between Rosslare and Cherbourg, two between Rosslare and Bilbao, and two between Cork and Roscoff.
The charter settles a promise the company made a year ago, when it said Norbay would be replaced as soon as possible by a suitable RoPax operating under the French flag. Brittany Ferries is the largest employer of French seafarers.
"The charter of our new ship Wexford is a positive step for the company and for the regions we serve in France and Ireland," said chief executive Christophe Mathieu. "We have also shown our commitment to those who crew our ships, and we never forget that it is they who define our success."
This story is part of the Maritime Briefing of 27 September 2026.
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