Thousands of Brittany Ferries passengers disrupted as ship is out of service

‘It has now become apparent that this work will take longer than initially planned’ says the shipping line

Sailing by: Brittany Ferries' flagship, Pont-Aven, is out of action for weeks (Brittany Ferries)

Many thousands of Brittany Ferries passengers are facing disruption as the firm’s flagship vessel undergoes repairs – leaving her out of service for at least four weeks.

The Pont-Aven has been in a shipyard in Brest in northwest France since 17 May following a fire in the engine room and problems with her steering gear. She is under repair at Brest.

Travellers booked on routes from the UK to Spain have been told she will remain out of service until 14 June at the earliest.

Football fans heading for the Champions’ League final in Madrid are among those affected.

Brittany Ferries told The Independent: “Pont-Aven will not resume service until 14 June.

“As a consequence, a number of sailings on the company’s Plymouth/Santander, Roscoff/Cork and Plymouth/Roscoff routes will be cancelled over the next three weeks.

“The company’s technical teams have been working around the clock with the Damen shipyard in Brest to carry out repairs to the ship’s starboard-side steering gear.

“Despite these efforts it has now become apparent that this work will take longer than initially planned, whilst replacement parts are delivered and installed, and comprehensive checks are carried out.”

The route to Santander in northern Spain is a favourite for British travellers who want to take their cars – and, often, pets – while avoiding the long drive through France.

Brittany Ferries is warning that options may be limited, saying: “It’s peak season for many of our routes so the reasonable alternative sailings we can offer are limited.”

The company is offering motorists who switch to another Brittany Ferries crossing “a contribution to onward travel costs of between £150 and £185 depending on the route taken”.

Many travellers have complained about the lack of information and contact from Brittany Ferries.

Tony Collings and his wife cancelled their holiday after their planned ferry from Portsmouth to Santander was first moved to Plymouth then cancelled altogether.

“We are now spending our long planned holiday at home and are unable to make use of the accommodation in Southern Spain that we have paid for.

“Flight options at this stage would have been prohibitively expensive.”

Another affected passenger, Ian Jones, is currently in Portugal. He said: “I can’t get through on the phone and and there is no reply to the email I sent 11 days ago.

We have no idea how we will get home nor what compensation we will get. It is a real mess.”

Unlike airlines, ferry firms can cancel crossings at short notice without penalty.

The chief executive, Christophe Mathieu, said: “On behalf of everyone at Brittany Ferries I would like to apologise profusely for the further delays to the return of our flagship Pont-Aven, and the disruption that this will cause to travel plans.

“Our priority now is to contact all customers who will be affected by this situation and to make sure that we look after them as best as we can.”

The firm is adding sailings on the relatively short Plymouth-Roscoff route.

The extra driving distance to Santander is almost 700 miles each way.

For travellers for whom there is no suitable alternative, Brittany Ferries will provide a full refund.