Brittany Ferries has confirmed its order for a fourth new cruise ferry to be built at the AVIC Weihai Shipyard in China. The new ship will sail the long-haul voyage between the UK and Spain and will be powered by LNG.
The yet-to-be-named E-flexer vessel will be chartered from Stena RoRo and is expected to enter service in 2023 following sister ships Galicia in 2021 and Salamanca in 2022, as well as Honfleur, which will be delivered by Germany’s FSG later this year. The agreement comes as part of a fleet renewal and investment programme worth around €550 million that will offer increased capacity, comfort and employment.
The former three 42,200gt ships will be among the largest in Brittany Ferries’ fleet at 215 metres, with 3,000 garage lane metres for freight vehicles and capacity for around 1,000 passengers in 340 ensuite cabins. There will also be three decks of boutiques, restaurants, bars and cafes all decorated in a Spanish style.
Like Salamanca and Honfleur, the new ship will be powered by LNG, reducing the ship’s carbon dioxide emissions by around 20% and cutting sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and particulate emissions to almost zero.
“We’re delighted to be adding another E-Flexer class cruise-ferry to our fleet,” said Christophe Mathieu, CEO of Brittany Ferries. “These are environmentally friendly, capacious and comfortable ships which perfectly suit to our long-haul services.
“The charter will continue our fleet renewal plans, marking the fourth brand new ship in five years. It signals our confidence in the demand for ferry travel post-Brexit and will help us meet the needs of our passenger and freight customers in the decades to come. It also clearly demonstrates our commitment to LNG as a fuel and our ambition to operate one of the most modern, green and comfortable ferry fleets in the world.”
| Caption | Like sister ship Salamanca (pictured) the new ship will run on LNG when it enters service in 2023 (Image: Brittany Ferries) |