• 28 Jun 2017

Brittany Ferries has announced that it is adding a new LNG-powered ferry to its 10-ship fleet.The vessel, named Honfleur, will be constructed at the Flensburger Schiffbau shipyard in Germany over the next two years. It is scheduled to take to the seas in June 2019.

The 187.4 m long vessel will be capable of carrying up to 1680 passengers, featuring 257 cabins, two cinemas, restaurants, boutique shipping and expansive passengers lounges. It will operate alongside the company’s Mont St Michel on three daily return sailings. Honfleur will replace the Normandie cruise ferry, which will move east to serve the Portsmouth – Le Havre route.

The President of Brittany Ferries, Jean-Marc Roué, said: “The significant investment we are making reflects our on-going commitment to developing the regions in which we operate, to linking people and to reducing the environmental impact of our ships. Despite the challenges of Brexit we remain confident in the future and our first new ship since the delivery of Armorique in 2009, with a budget of around £175 million, underlines this resolve.”

The company claims that this new vessel represents the next step in its drive towards sustainable transport. The adoption of LNG follows a €90 million investment in sulfur and particulate-reducing ‘scrubber’ technology. These exhaust emission systems have been retrospectively fitted to six of the company’s ships over the last 18 months, in a project supported by approximately €5 million in joint funding from the EU and its executive agency INEA – and the ADEME in France.

Powered with LNG, the new vessel’s four main engines will feed electric generators and two electric shaft propulsion motors with two fixed pitch efficient propellers.

The CEO of Brittany Ferries, Christophe Mathieu, said: “It is important that we invest in new technologies and new vessels that respect the environment in which we operate. Equally, we must not forget that our customers expect Brittany Ferries ships to be comfortable, relaxing and adapted to the digital age. These objectives are compatible and I believe Honfleur will set a new standard for ferries operating on the Channel.”