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Channel Islands Ferries
British Channel Islands Ferries
 
 
These pages are devoted to postcards of Channel Islands Channel Islands Ferries (CIF), which became British Channel Islands Ferries (BCIF) in 1987. The Table below gives links to complete postcard history pages on selected individual ships. Below the table are official postcards of the fleet in chronological order. There is also an alphabetical list of ships covered on this page.
 
 
A Brief History of BCIF:-
Channel Islands Ferries was established in 1984, owned by jointly by Huelin Renouf and Brittany Ferries. The first vessel managed by the company was the Corbiere (ex-Benodet of Brittany Ferries). She operated a daily round trip between Portsmouth, Jersey and Guernsey, from 28th March 1985. Channel Island Ferries immediately took a substantial amount of business from Sealink British Ferries, who had long had a monopoly on the routes to Jersey and Guernsey. Channel Island Ferries were helped in this by a disastrous attempt by Sealink to move up-market, and charge much higher fares. This Sealink policy was reversed somewhat in 1986, but Channel Island Ferries still took 55% of the traffic. The two companies were in discussion during the summer of 1986, and announced a joint service from September 30th, under the title British Channel Island Ferries, using vessels from both fleets. However, Sealink crews took industrial action and Corbiere served the islands alone through much of October. Sealink failed to reach agreement with their employees, and were forced to pull out of the agreement altogether. Following a court case, Sealink were prevented from competing for twelve months. British Channel Island Ferries then had to charter two additional ships to maintain services. These were the Brittany Ferries freighter Breizh-Izel and Marlines' Baroness M, which was renamed Portelet. The latter ship operated out of Weymouth until October 1988. Breizh-Izel was replaced by the Havelet (ex-Cornouailles) from April 1989, and operated from Poole. Corbiere continued to serve from Portsmouth until December 1988, when she was replaced by the larger Rozel, which also operated out of Poole. In 1992 Rozel was replaced by the Brittany Ferries ship Reine Mathilde (previously Prince of Brittany), which continued operations as Beauport alongside the Havelet. British Channel Island Ferries ceased operations in 1994, and Havelet was chartered to Condor Ferries to operate from Weymouth.
 
Any help in supplying me with postcards of Breizh-Izel, in either BCIF or Brittany Ferries colours, for sale or exchange, would be greatly appreciated. Please email: simplon@simplon.co.uk
 
 
Ships on This Page:-
Beauport - ex-Prince of Brittany of Brittany Ferries
Breizh-Izel - Chartered from Brittany Ferries
Corbiere - ex-Benodet of Brittany Ferries
Havelet - ex-Cornouailles of Brittany Ferries
Portelet - ex-Lion of P&O
Rozel - ex-St Edmund of Sealink
 
Associated Pages:-
Brittany Ferries
Burns & Laird
Lion Ferry AB
Marlines
Normandy Ferries
Viking Line
Ferry Postcards
Simplon Postcards Home Page
 
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Table of Ship Histories

Name

Other names

 Built
 Portelet  Lion, Baroness M

 1967
 Corbiere  Apollo, Olau Kent, Gelting Nord, Benodet

 1967
 
 
 
 
 
 
BCIF Fleet List
 
 
Corbiere (1985-1988)
 
The ex-Apollo of Viking Line, built 1970. She then served as Olau Kent and Gelting Nord before becoming Benodet for Brittany Ferries. She entered service with Channel Island Ferries on 28th March 1985 as the Corbiere, linking Portsmouth to Jersey and Guernsey. In 2001 she remained in service in Labrador under her original name Apollo.
 
A complete history of this ship is available on this link.
 
 
Channel Island Ferries card of Corbiere, dressed overall (maiden visit?).
 
 
 
Channel Island Ferries card of Corbiere, printed by Cheney, Banbury.
 
 
 
British Channel Island Ferries card (serial CKIW2097) of Corbiere leaving Portsmouth.
Photo: © P.D.Croydon.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Breizh-Izel (1987-1988)
 
Breizh-Izel, the Brittany Ferries freight ferry, operated alongside Corbiere from 1986. I do not have a postcard of Breizh-Izel, although they do exist.
 
 
Photograph of Breizh-Izel.
Photo: © Jeremy Hartill.
 
 
Photograph of Breizh-Izel at St Peter Port.
Photo: © Stephen de Sausmarez.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Portelet (1987-1988)
 
The ex-Lion of Burns & Laird, Normandy Ferries and P&O was purchased in 1985. She was chartered to British Channel Island Ferries as Portelet 1987-88. Baroness M disappeared from Marlines fleet lists between 1997 and 1998. In 2001 she is listed as owned by Cammell Laird, although not used in any service.
 
A complete history of Lion is available on this link.
 
 
This is the official BCIF card of Portelet.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Havelet (1989-1994)
 
The ex-Cornouailles of Brittany Ferries. Operated by BCIF as Havelet between 1992-94 from Poole to the Channel Islands, when the service terminated. She was then chartered to Condor Ferries who used her from Weymouth. In 2001 she operates between Italy and Croatia as the Sveti Stefan.
 
 
Ferry Publications card of Havelet, serial 0118.
Photo: © Miles Cowsill.
 
 
 
Ferry Publications card of Havelet, serial 0307.
Photo: © Miles Cowsill.
 
 
 
Ferry Publications card of Havelet, serial 411.
Photo: © FotoFlite.
 
 
 
Simplon Postcards sp1198 of Havelet on charter to Condor Ferries.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Rozel (1989-1992)
 
The ex-St Edmund of Sealink, subsequently Keren and Scirocco. Operated by BCIF as Rozel between 1992-94 from Poole to the Channel Islands, when she was replaced by the Beauport. In 2001 she has remains in service between Spain and Morocco, having reverted to the name Scirocco.
 
 
Ferry Publications card of Rozel, serial 0117.
Photo: © Miles Cowsill.
 
 
 
Ferry Publications card of Rozel, serial 0307.
Photo: © Miles Cowsill.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Beauport (1992-1994)
 
Beauport was built as the Prince of Fundy in Bremerhaven in 1970 for Lion Ferry AB. She entered service between Portland (USA) and Yarmouth (Canada) in June 1970, and continued on this rote until January 1976. Following a Norwegian charter, Prince of Fundy operated on the Lion Ferries Varberg-Grenå route from November 1976 until March 1978, when she was chartered to Brittany Ferries as the Prince of Brittany, followed by purchase in 1980. Her primary route was between Portsmouth and St Malo. Following upgrading work by Meyer Werft in Papenburg, she returned as the Reine Mathilde and began service on the Portsmouth-Caen route. In 1991, Reine Mathilde passed to the associated British Channel Island Ferries as the Beauport, entering service from Poole to the islands of Jersey and Guernsey until October 1993. Following this Beauport operated vaious charters in the Mediterranean, including regular summer work from 1996-99 with Compagnie Marocaine de Navigation (COMANAV), between Sete and Morocco. During summer 2000 Beauport was chartered to Sancak Lines for service between Brindisi and Cesme. From December 2000 Beauport has been chartered to the Goverment of Trinidad & Tobago, Port Of Spain, for a service from there to Scarborough (Tobago).
 
 
Ferry Publications card of Beauport, serial 410A.
Photo: © Miles Cowsill.
 
 
 
Ferry Publications card of Beauport, serial 410B.
Photo: © Miles Cowsill.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Brittany Ferries - Burns & Laird Car Ferries - Lion Ferry AB
Marlines - Normandy Ferries - Viking Line
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