The travel plans of thousands of people have been hit by the cancellation of ferry sailings from Cork to Roscoff due to technical problems.
Brittany Ferries, which operates the route, said it had cancelled tomorrow morning's sailing of the mv Pont-Avenfrom Roscoff to Cork and the 22.30 sailing from Cork back to the French port. The service has been cancelled until at least August 21st.
The technical fault was due to a failed seawater cooling valve, which resulted in water entering the auxiliary engine compartment of the ferry. Brittany Ferries said no passengers were on board when the water entered and there was no danger to either crew or ship.
A statement from the company said: "The ship is currently being worked on and we are optimistic that it will be back in service next week. This is the first sailing that Brittany Ferries has to had to cancel in well over 10 years." Brittany Ferries apologised for the disruption.
Passengers booked on tomorrow's Cork-Roscoff sailing should ring the company's office at 021-4277801 to make alternative arrangements.
The company said it was making every effort to contact the affected customers with the aim of re-booking the "nearest available alternatives", either directly with other ferry operators or by landbridge route through Britain.
It said any passengers not wishing to travel using these alternative arrangements will be refunded. August is particularly popular with families travelling to France by ferry for camping holidays and it is estimated that around 2,000 people are affected by the cancelled sailings this weekend.