Brittany Ferries is launching a new ro-ro freight service between Poole and Bilbao.

The company has chartered the 1999-built ro-ro vessel Pelican from Maritime Nantaise for a period of 12 months, with an option for extension. The vessel will operate a twice weekly service from early February and has the capacity for around 100 unaccompanied trailers and 12 drivers.

The move comes in response to a surge in freight traffic last year with Brittany Ferries seeing a 20% increase across all routes.

“Freight activity to and from the United Kingdom is undergoing a period of strong growth, particularly the unaccompanied market,” said Simon Wagstaff, Brittany Ferries’ freight director.

“We see this on a daily basis in the garages of our vessels, especially on those operating to and from Spain. Our charter of Pelican will help us meet growing demand from freight customers and free up more garage space on other ships.”