Guernsey overtakes Jersey as the most popular Channel Island for sea travel from the UK

2nd December 2025

  • Guernsey secures 55 per cent of all UK-Channel Islands ferry passengers during April to October
  • Market share UK/Guernsey for October increased to 57 per cent
  • UK/Guernsey routes surpass UK/Jersey for the first time
  • Brittany Ferries carried 36,472 more passengers between St Malo and Guernsey from April to October 2025 versus 2024

The success of Brittany Ferries’ services last summer has seen Guernsey’s market share of ferry passengers from the UK to the Channel Islands exceed 50 per cent for the first time.

According to data produced by IRN Ferry, an independent travel research company for the ferry industry, 112,255 passengers travelled between Portsmouth and Poole to Guernsey from April to October this year, compared with 92,023 to Jersey from the same two ports. This sees Guernsey capture a 55 per cent share of the total Channel Islands market by sea from the UK. Figures for October see a further change in favour of Guernsey, of 57 per cent compared to 43 per cent to Jersey

These milestones follow Brittany Ferries’ September announcement that overall carryings to Guernsey had increased by almost a third since its contract with the States of Guernsey came into effect in April.

Christophe Mathieu, chief executive Brittany Ferries, commented:

“We have seen a fantastic first summer with consistent growth over the full seven months, which is all the more remarkable when you consider the respective populations of both Islands. For the Bailiwick of Guernsey to have welcomed well over half of all UK visitors by sea to the Channel Islands is a credit to everyone involved.”

Brittany Ferries also reported strong growth on its France/Guernsey services. The company transported 99,325 passengers from April to October 2025 between Guernsey and St Malo, an increase of 36,472 over last year.

Mr Mathieu concluded:

“After a successful first season, we are excited to look ahead and see how we can make our services even better. One of our next initiatives is to bring the Islands of the Bailiwick closer together by teaming up with the local ferry operators to offer through-services from the UK and France.”

—Ends—

Notes to editors:

Ferry passenger traffic overview – UK / Channel Islands
April – October 2025

Operator Routes Passengers Market share
Brittany Ferries Poole & Portsmouth / Guernsey 112,255 55%
DFDS Poole & Portsmouth / Jersey 92,023 45%
Total – 204,278 –

 

Source: IRN Ferry data 2025 www.irnferry.com/ferrystat

IRN Ferry is a standalone ferry market research company. It receives traffic data from all UK ferry companies, generating monthly and annual reports that are issued to the operators. www.irnferry.com/about-us

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 53 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 brand 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:

Key figures:

  • Turnover: €516 million in 2024 compared with €484.7 million 2023 and €444.7 million in 2023.
  • Employment: Around 2,707 employees, including 1,818 seafarers (full-time equivalent)
  • Passengers: 2.15 million in 2024 compared to 2.03 million in 2023
  • Freight: 162,000 compared with 155,592 in 2023
  • 13 ships connecting France, the United Kingdom, Spain and Ireland, via 14 maritime routes
  • 13 ports: Roscoff, Saint-Malo, Cherbourg, Caen, Le Havre, Guernsey, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Poole, Cork, Rosslare, Santander, Bilbao.
  • New in 2025: rail-freight ‘ro-ro-rail’ service connecting Cherbourg with Bayonne (Mouguerre)

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