Brittany Ferries is suing DFDS, claiming unfair competition on the Newhaven-Dieppe route.
The French firm says it has launched the legal challenge this week over grants received by its Danish rivals from the Normandy region - claiming it has cost BF £125 million in lost business since 2013.
Guernsey's ferry operator has begun the action in France, with a court date set for 6 June in Brest. It has also complained to the EU's competition watchdog, the EU Directorate-General for Competition.
In an interview with the French newspaper Le Marin, Brittany Ferries' company president Jean-Marc Roué said: "Subsidies granted by the Syndicat mixte transmanche (SMPAT) in Normandie allow DFDS to levy artificially low fares that are out of touch with economic reality.
“This draws a significant proportion of freight and passenger traffic to the Newhaven-Dieppe route, to the detriment of Brittany Ferries.”
Pas d'autres commentaires que les faits, et rien que les faits ! https://t.co/fA7ACSDCO5
— Jean-Marc Roué (@jmrouebferries) May 21, 2025
Earlier this year, Brittiany Ferries lost a legal challenge against the Jersey government's decision to award the island's ferry contract to DFDS.
Read: Brittany Ferries' legal challenge of Jersey contract denied
In April, the Court of Appeal ordered BF pay DFDS £40,000 in legal costs.
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