There will be no price hikes, nor shortage of marine fuels in ’26 says Brittany Ferries

22nd April 2026

  • Company CEO slams knee-jerk fuel surcharges for holiday makers, saying they are unnecessary and unwelcome
  • Energy experts confirm all marine fuels are guaranteed for 2026. There is no chance that summer holidays will be ruined by maritime fuel shortages.

Holiday makers can be confident that a sail-and-stay vacation with Brittany Ferries will not be ruined by fuel shortages this year, nor by soaring prices. ​ That’s the company’s 2026 promise to all passengers.

Airlines and industry bodies have warned of imminent kerosene shortages, service cancellations and significant price rises. Brittany Ferries, however, says this uncertainty should not concern those travelling by sea.​

Suppliers have guaranteed the free flow of all maritime fuels – Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), HFO (heavy fuel oil) and MGO (marine gas oil). Ferries departing Portsmouth, Poole or Plymouth to five destinations in France, two in northern Spain and Guernsey in the Channel Islands are guaranteed to run throughout the year.​

Secondly, Brittany Ferries has slammed competitors that have applied knee-jerk price rises in response to the crisis in the middle east. It says political uncertainty is already causing enough pain at the petrol pump for families and that this move by travel operators is both unnecessary and unwelcome.

Prudent airlines and ferry companies like Brittany Ferries “hedge” the vast majority of their fuel contracts. That means the price is set in advance, sometimes months. Fuel costs change little for the operator, regardless of fluctuations on the wholesale market.

But many others have gambled. Some companies did not play safe and hedge, crossing fingers and praying for a swift end to turmoil in the gulf. Prices soared and supplies have dwindled as a consequence. Now, like bad gamblers, they look to others to cover their losses.

“Today we make a clear promise to customers,” said Christophe Mathieu, CEO Brittany Ferries.  “Firstly, if you have booked with us, or are considering doing so, we will get you to a beautiful and safe holiday destination this year. Period.

“Secondly, we will play no part in profiteering or seeking to recover losses from a gamble gone wrong, as some appear to be doing. The cost of our holidays rose by inflation earlier this year, and by inflation alone. There will be no further rises in the weeks or months ahead. Conflict or other global uncertainty should not be used as the basis for knee-jerk price hikes: it is absolutely the unacceptable face of capitalism.”

In the last fortnight, Brittany Ferries has reported an increase of 37 per cent in reservations covering travel in July and August. The company says this shows that families are already abandoning the volatility of travel by air to the certainty of holidays by sea this summer.

—Ends—

About Brittany Ferries

Brittany Ferries was conceived in 1972, starting life as a freight-only ferry-service on 2nd January the following year. The first vessel (Kerisnel) linked Roscoff in Brittany with Plymouth on the southwest of England and carried a cargo of cauliflowers and cognac. Since then, the company has progressively launched, then strengthened its shipping routes. In more than 52 years of service, millions of passengers and businesses have travelled by sea across the so-called Atlantic Arc (France, UK, Spain and Ireland). They rely on the links forged by more than five decades of experience. In addition to cutting congestion and emissions on busy roads, Brittany Ferries’ motorways-of the sea have helped enrich local communities, creating jobs, nurturing international tourism and boosting cross-border trade. Five new vessels joined the fleet between 2019 and 2025. Two LNG-electric-hybrids (Saint-Malo in February 2025 and Guillaume de Normandie in April 2025) complete the largest fleet renewal programme in the company’s history.

More details, and images here:

Press contacts:

Nigel Wonnacott: [email protected]
Christopher Jones: [email protected]

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