DFDS is the newest operator at Portsmouth. It has run the direct Portsmouth to Jersey crossing since March 2025, after winning Jersey’s sea link contract, and it is a completely separate company from Brittany Ferries despite sailing from the same terminal.
Researched, not sailed. We have not crossed with DFDS from Portsmouth. We have seen their Jersey sailings on the departures board in the terminal, photographed in August 2025, which is the extent of our first-hand contact with them. Everything else here comes from operator and trade sources.
Routes from Portsmouth
One route, but a significant one, because it is the crossing that did not exist before 2025. DFDS also sails Jersey to Poole and Jersey to Saint-Malo, neither of which touches Portsmouth.
Why they are here at all
Jersey put its sea link out to tender and DFDS won it, on a fifteen year contract for passenger and freight services. The service began on 28 March 2025. Guernsey went a different way, staying with the Condor operation that Brittany Ferries had just bought, so the two islands ended up with two different operators for the first time in decades.
For anyone leaving Portsmouth the practical consequence is simple: the Channel Islands are no longer one company’s network. Guernsey and Jersey are separate bookings with separate companies, and you cannot combine them on one ticket. See our Channel Islands guide.
Who they are
DFDS is Danish and very old, tracing back to the 1860s, and it is one of the larger ferry and logistics operators in Europe. Most of its business is freight and short sea shipping around the North Sea, the Baltic and the Channel, so a passenger route to a small island is not really its centre of gravity.
That is worth knowing when you set expectations. The Jersey ship is a working ro-pax carrying freight alongside passengers, not a cruise ferry. Compare it with the Brittany Ferries vessels on the France and Spain routes and it is a smaller, plainer boat, because it is doing a different job.
The ship, and its new name
Stena Vinga works the Portsmouth to Jersey run: built in 2005, around 400 passengers and 200 cars, 40 cabins, a restaurant, shop, cinema and recliner lounge.
She has been on charter from Stena Line since the service started. DFDS completes the purchase in November 2026, reflags her to the UK register, and renames her Corbière Seaways after a public vote in Jersey. Around a thousand names were suggested, four were shortlisted, and just over 700 islanders voted before it closed on 19 July 2026. La Corbière is the south-western tip of Jersey, the lighthouse across the tidal causeway.
So the same ship appears under two names depending on when you look. More on her, and on her sister ship that happens to serve Guernsey for the rival operator, on our ships page.
Practical differences from Brittany Ferries
Same terminal, different everything else. Separate booking system, separate check-in times, separate customer service, separate loyalty arrangements. A Brittany Ferries flexible ticket means nothing to DFDS and the other way round.
Check-in windows in particular are set by the operator and are not the same, so follow what DFDS put on your booking confirmation rather than what you remember from a France crossing. Our Portsmouth port guide covers getting to the terminal, parking and the wait, which is the same whoever you are sailing with.
Booking
Direct with DFDS, for live availability and current fares. We are not a booking site and we do not handle your booking. Some links here are affiliate links, and we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. See our affiliate disclosure.
Compare the Jersey route against everything else leaving Portsmouth on the route overview, or see how the two Channel Islands crossings differ on the Channel Islands guide.
Common questions
Does DFDS sail from Portsmouth?
Yes. DFDS runs the direct Portsmouth to Jersey crossing, and has done since 28 March 2025. It is their only route from Portsmouth: see our Portsmouth to Jersey guide for times, the ship and what to expect.
Is DFDS the same company as Brittany Ferries?
No. They are separate companies that happen to use the same Portsmouth terminal. Bookings, check-in and customer service are all separate, and Brittany Ferries has its own guide here.
Which ship does DFDS use on the Jersey route?
Stena Vinga, being renamed Corbière Seaways when DFDS completes its purchase of her in November 2026. She and her near sister on the Guernsey run are on our ships page.
Does DFDS sail to Guernsey from Portsmouth?
No. Guernsey from Portsmouth is Brittany Ferries, under the Condor name. Only Jersey is DFDS.
Operator, route and ship details checked September 2026 against DFDS and trade press. We have not sailed with DFDS from Portsmouth and say so above.