Portsmouth – Brittany Ferries · Colin Smith · CC BY-SA 2.0 · cropped
Brittany Ferries has cancelled the remaining Portsmouth to Le Havre sailings that were meant to run through a planned last crossing on September 28, 2026, after a technical fault on Commodore Clipper. BBC News reported the operator’s statement on September 22: booked travellers can transfer to another Brittany Ferries crossing or take a full refund.
The route, open since 2013, was already scheduled to close at the end of September as part of a wider network cut. The Clipper fault ended those last sailings early, which matters if you still hold a ticket, a car space, or a Le Havre arrival timed for Paris. Start with the Deep Arrival cruise and ferry planning hub if you are rebuilding a Channel crossing, then confirm the live network on the Brittany Ferries Portsmouth to Le Havre route page before you drive to Portsmouth International Port.
- What changed: All remaining Portsmouth to Le Havre sailings are cancelled before the planned September 28 last crossing.
- Cause: A technical fault on Commodore Clipper, plus a previously announced route closure.
- Traveler options: Transfer to another Brittany Ferries route or a full refund, with the company contacting ticket holders.
- Still running from Portsmouth: Caen, Cherbourg, St Malo, Guernsey, Santander, and Bilbao.
- Next network cut: Poole to Cherbourg closes in November 2026, with a daily Portsmouth to Cherbourg service announced in its place.
Remaining Portsmouth to Le Havre Tickets
The Daily Echo published the operator’s wording on September 24: remaining Portsmouth to Le Havre sailings up to the planned final crossing on September 28 are cancelled because of the Commodore Clipper fault. Brittany Ferries said it is contacting affected customers directly. Do not assume the September 28 sailing will still board if your confirmation still shows that date.
A full refund is on the table, and so is a move onto another Brittany Ferries crossing. Ask the agent to match vehicle length, cabin type, and pet rules before you accept a swap, because Caen, Cherbourg, and St Malo use different ships and different French road exits. Keep screenshots of the original booking, the cancellation notice, and any refund or transfer reference.
If you have not been contacted and your sailing is in the next 72 hours, use the booking email, the Brittany Ferries app, or the phone number on the ticket. Port staff at Portsmouth cannot recreate a cancelled Clipper sailing. Leave extra time at the terminal only if your new ticket is for a same-day alternative; otherwise stay home until the new departure is confirmed in writing.
Alternative Crossings Still Running From Portsmouth
Brittany Ferries told BBC News it will keep a comprehensive Portsmouth programme: regular sailings to Caen, Cherbourg, and St Malo in France, to Guernsey, and to Santander and Bilbao in Spain. Those routes are the live substitutes. Caen via Ouistreham is the usual stand-in for a Le Havre plan aimed at Paris or eastern France, at the cost of a longer drive on the French side.
Le Havre sat about 121 miles from Paris on the operator’s own driving table, which is why the route mattered for London and the South East. Cherbourg and St Malo point you farther west into Normandy and Brittany. Check night versus day sailings, because overnight Caen and St Malo crossings change cabin demand when Le Havre tickets dump onto those ships.
Portsmouth itself remains a working ferry city. If you still have a hotel night on the English side, the Portsmouth things to do guide is the place to park a delayed evening, not a reason to keep a cancelled Le Havre ticket. The Isle of Wight ferries from the same harbour are a different operator and do not replace a Normandy crossing.
Poole to Cherbourg Closes in November
The same financial plan that killed Portsmouth to Le Havre also ends Poole to Cherbourg from November 2026. BBC News said Brittany Ferries will run a daily Portsmouth to Cherbourg service in place of the Poole journey, and will sell ships including Barfleur. That is a second booking decision for anyone holding autumn Poole tickets or planning a Dorset departure.
If your original idea was Poole to Cherbourg with a car, look now at Portsmouth to Cherbourg dates from November 1 rather than waiting for a last Poole sailing that may not exist. Transfers from a cancelled Le Havre ticket onto a November Cherbourg sailing only work if your travel dates move. Do not mix the Clipper fault (immediate, this week) with the Poole closure (November).
Spain routes from Portsmouth to Santander and Bilbao are unchanged in the company’s September statement. Those sailings are not a same-day substitute for a Le Havre arrival timed for Paris. Use them only if northern Spain was already the trip, or if you are converting a cancelled Channel crossing into a longer break with the line’s consent.
Financial Pressure Behind the Early Close
Brittany Ferries announced the Le Havre and Poole cuts in June 2026, citing a 27 million euro bill for 2026 from rising taxes, remaining Covid-era loan repayments, what it called unfair competition, and fewer travellers, plus EU Emissions Trading System costs. It said it had repaid half of its Covid support loan. The Clipper fault did not create the closure; it pulled the last September sailings forward.
The operator’s public route pages had already warned that Portsmouth to Le Havre was under operational review and that October schedules could change. That warning is now obsolete: there is no October Le Havre sailing to review. Treat any third-party timetable that still lists Commodore Clipper to Le Havre after September 16 as stale until the company confirms a sailing in your booking record.
For a Channel trip that still has to happen this month, the practical stack is refund or transfer first, then a Portsmouth to Caen or Cherbourg ticket, then a rewritten French driving plan. Do not buy a last-minute Le Havre hotel or a Paris train that assumed a Le Havre evening arrival until the new port and time are locked.
| If you… | What to do |
|---|---|
| Hold a Portsmouth to Le Havre ticket through September 28 | Wait for Brittany Ferries contact, then take a full refund or a written transfer; do not travel to the port on the old Clipper time. |
| Still need Normandy or Paris this month | Move to Portsmouth to Caen (Ouistreham) or Cherbourg, then rebuild the French drive; Le Havre is no longer a Brittany Ferries option. |
| Hold a Poole to Cherbourg ticket after late October | Plan on the November Portsmouth to Cherbourg replacement, or refund before the Poole route ends. |
| Were using Le Havre as the short Paris drive | Budget extra road time from Caen or Cherbourg; the 121-mile Le Havre to Paris shortcut is gone on this line. |
| Need Spain, Guernsey, or St Malo | Those Portsmouth routes remain in the company’s September statement; rebook only if your dates still fit. |
Now is the refund or transfer window. Remaining Le Havre sailings are already cancelled. Use the booking channel on your ticket and keep written proof of the refund or the new route, ship, and time.
September 28 is no longer a last-sailing date you can plan around. Commodore Clipper will not complete that advertised finale. Do not keep Le Havre hotels, trains, or car drop-offs tied to that arrival.
November 1 is the Poole to Cherbourg cutover. From that date, treat Portsmouth to Cherbourg as the replacement, not a Poole departure, unless Brittany Ferries issues a later exception.
Is the Portsmouth to Le Havre ferry still running?
No. Brittany Ferries cancelled remaining sailings before the planned September 28 last crossing after a Commodore Clipper technical fault. The route was already set to close at the end of September.
Can I get a refund on a cancelled Le Havre ticket?
Yes. The company told BBC News that travellers already booked can transfer to other crossings or get a full refund, and the Daily Echo said it is contacting affected customers directly.
Which Brittany Ferries routes still leave Portsmouth?
Caen, Cherbourg, and St Malo in France, Guernsey, and Santander and Bilbao in Spain, according to the operator’s September statement.
What happened to Commodore Clipper?
Brittany Ferries said a technical fault on Commodore Clipper meant it could no longer complete the remaining Portsmouth to Le Havre sailings. It has not published a public repair date for that ship on this route.
When does Poole to Cherbourg close?
November 2026. BBC News reported a daily Portsmouth to Cherbourg service will replace the Poole journey as part of the same financial plan.
How far is Le Havre from Paris compared with Caen?
Brittany Ferries listed Le Havre at 121 miles (196 km) from Paris. Caen via Ouistreham is the closest remaining Portsmouth substitute, with a longer French drive.
