Port accessAfter the obligatory winter break, the ferry season in the Port of Bilbao kicks off this Saturday with the first crossing of the year of the Salamanca, a state-of-the-art cruise-ferry of the Brittany Ferries company. The Salamanca will depart from Bilbao to Portsmouth every Saturday until 25 March, after which the vessel will set sail from Bilbao every Tuesday.
On 28 March, the Santoña will join the route to the south of England, departing every Thursday from the passenger ferry terminal in Zierbena. On the same day, the Galicia will also resume service with the Irish port of Rosslare, with two weekly sailings on Thursdays and Sundays. In 2023, more than 120,000 people used Brittany Ferries services to travel comfortably between the Port of Bilbao and the ports of Rosslare and Portsmouth, 16% more than in 2022.
The Port Authority has taken advantage of these months of inactivity to revamp the facilities at Dock AZ3, where Brittany Ferries vessels berth. Specifically, ramp number 4 has undergone the structural modifications required to adapt it to the needs of the modern E-Flexer-class ferries, and has been overhauled in dry dock to begin service on 2 March, coinciding with the start of the ferry season.
Brittany Ferries will link Bilbao with England and Ireland with the Galicia, Salamanca and Santoña cruise-ferries, three E-Flexer-class sister ferries with a capacity for up to 1,050 passengers and 2,714 linear metres to accommodate passenger vehicles and trucks. The vessels have been built to offer maximum efficiency thanks to the design of their long and slender hulls, providing a high level of hydrodynamic performance, and to the silicone coating on the hull which reduces friction, helping to streamline the passage of the ferry through the water, reducing fuel consumption, and offering the greatest comfort and an unbeatable travel experience for the passengers. Both the Salamanca and the Santoña are powered by LNG, a more sustainable fuel. In this respect, the Port Authority has performed all necessary refurbishment work at the berth and the company Repsol has built a gas station to supply the vessels with this fuel.
Promotion in Madrid
Brittany Ferries will promote the twice-weekly Bilbao-Rosslare service at Ireland Week, to be held in Madrid between 11 and 17 March to celebrate Irish culture and coinciding with St. Patrick’s Day, patron saint of the island.
Specifically, Brittany Ferries will participate with a concert by the ambassador of Celtic music in Spain, Carlos Núñez, as part of the Galician piper’s tour to promote ‘Celtic Sea’, a tribute album to Celtic music. The concert will take place on Monday, 11 March, at the Nave de Motores museum in Madrid at 20:00h. A total of 50 tickets will be available to the public free of charge on the Museos del Metro de Madrid website from 1 March at 10:00h.
Composed to mark the 50th anniversary of the company based in Normandy and inspired by crossings on board the ferries, this album features a total of 14 songs rooted in Celtic tradition and dedicated to each of the ports at which the company’s ferries call, and includes the “Mare Britanicum March”, a piece of music composed specifically for Brittany Ferries. As well as enjoying the music included on this special album, those who attend the concert will be able to participate in a prize draw to win a trip for up to 4 people (one cabin) and a car to travel to Ireland.
