Brittany Ferries News

Deliveries will begin in 2028 if all goes well. Delays and escalating costs have bedeviled the procurement process up until now.Washington State Ferries on Thursday published an invitation to bid on building five new hybrid-electric ferries, an overdue achievement that promises to eventually bring more reliability to cross-Sound ferry service.It’s the first time in more than 50 years that the state will accept bids from shipyards nationwide to construct its vessels. Going out to bid on this contract also represents a major step toward electrification of the WSF fleet.

Brittany Ferries announced it is working with Wärtsilä and Incat to explore design and technical requirements for a 137-meter zero-emissions ferry.“This is an important project as we look at different ways to reach net zero by 2050,” said Christophe Mathieu, CEO of Brittany Ferries. “All-electric power is a potential solution, best suited to shorter ferry routes. At this stage we don’t know what is feasible, and upon which route, but what we can say is that trusted partners will help us scope it out. Upon completion of the project we can move quickly.

ABB has secured an order with Portsmouth International Port to supply a shore connection solution for visiting ferries and cruise ships as part of the UK port’s Sea Change project.Shore connection allows visiting ferries and cruise ships to avoid emissions by connecting to the shoreside electrical grid while in port, supporting the Portsmouth’s port aim to be the first in the UK to be zero emissions by 2030.The initiative is part of the port’s Sea Change project to design, build…

Interferry – representing more than 270 companies and some 1,200 individual members from over 40 countries – is co-hosting a workshop at next month’s European Shipping Summit in Brussels to stress the importance of shifting more goods transport from road to short sea services, notably through better use of European Union funding to enhance the sector’s competitiveness.The workshop – ‘How to increase the share of maritime transport in Europe’s trade’  – takes place at 09:30 on September 19 in the Royal Museum of Fine Arts and is open to all interested professionals.

The CMA CGM Group today finalized the acquisition of La Méridionale, a mixed-use freight and passenger shipping company established in Marseille since 1931. La Méridionale currently has four RoPax vessels, which operate up to 13 weekly crossings between Marseille, Porto Vecchio and Ajaccio, plus connections between Marseille and Morocco.The acquisition of La Méridionale complements the new division of the CMA CGM Group dedicated to specialized shipping operations. This division encompasses the new car carrier business…

DNV has awarded an approval in principle for Michelin's WISAMO wing sail system, which is the first AiP to have been awarded to an inflatable wing sail design. The WISAMO wing sail system is currently being installed for testing on the DNV-classed MN Pelican ro-ro cargo vessel.An Approval in Principle is an independent assessment of a concept within an agreed framework, confirming that the design is feasible, and no significant obstacles exist to prevent the concept from being realized.

Wärtsilä Voyage, part of the technology group Wärtsilä, announced that its Smart Panoramic Edge Camera System (SPECS) will be used by Brittany Ferries to improve the safety and efficiency of its passenger ferry operations. SPECS will be first installed onboard the Salamanca – the 214.5 meter, 1015 passenger ferry which started operations between Portsmouth and Bilbao in March 2022.The SPECS super-wide cameras will give the crew a 360° view, from the edge of the hull to the horizon, streamed directly to the bridge in real-time.

Wärtsilä will supply its hybrid propulsion system for three new RoPax vessel currently built for Stena RoRo, Europe´s largest ferry company. Two of the ferries will have a battery capacity of 11.5 MWh, reportedly making them the marine industry’s largest hybrid vessels to date.“Stena wants to be a frontrunner in decarbonizing our fleet and, together with our partners, pushing developments towards zero emission operations,” says Per Westling, Managing Director, Stena RoRo. “Hybridization allows our vessels to be highly flexible as we adapt to future technology developments…

Brittany Ferries and Titan LNG have signed a long-term agreement for the supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and liquified bio methane (LBM) to two new LNG-fueled hybrid Ro-Pax vessels that Brittany Ferries will operate between England and France from 2025.The ferries will serve established routes connecting Portsmouth with Saint-Malo, and Portsmouth with Ouistreham. Titan said it will aim to supply fuel to both vessels during usual cargo operations alongside (SIMOPS) to avoid delays to sailing schedules.The two 194.7 meter…

Wärtsilä will provide technical support via a long-term service agreement for its broad scope of solutions installed on Brittany Ferries’ latest RoPax vessel Salamanca. The 10-year agreement was signed in December 2021. The ferry will be inaugurated on March 25 and make its first commercial sailing from Portsmouth, U.K. to Bilbao, Spain on March 27.Built at the the China Merchants Jinling Shipyard (CMJL) facilities in Weihai, Salamanca features two Wärtsilä 46DF dual-fuel main engines and three Wärtsilä 20DF dual-fuel auxiliary engines with gas valve units.

The Salamanca ferry, the second of five ships in the E-Flexer class ordered by Stena RoRo for the French ferry firm Brittany Ferries was delivered on November 30. The vessel is the sixth E-Flexer of twelve ordered from the Chinese shipyard CMI Jinling (Weihai). The Salamanca will be chartered by Brittany Ferries on a long-term basis.The 214.5 meters long Salamanca has been built with LNG dual-fuel engines and is the first ship in the E-Flexer series with gas engines. The interior has been designed by Richard Nilsson at Figura Architects.

A study commissioned by trade association Interferry has revealed startling statistics on the far-reaching extent of the global ferry industry’s value to the world economy.Research into the latest pre-Covid full-year figures found that, in 2019, ferries carried 4.27 billion passengers – on a par with aviation – and 373 million vehicles across a worldwide fleet of 15,400 vessels. Among other findings, the industry provided 1.1 million jobs, contributed $60 billion to the world…

CMA CGM Group, a shipping and logistics giant, has agreed to make a €25 million investment, including €10 million in quasi-equity, in Brittany Ferries, the largest ferry company operating under the French flag, to support Brittany Ferries’ post-Covid-19 recovery.Brittany Ferries said the partnership would help to unlock synergies between the two companies in passenger and freight transport. "By harnessing the respective areas of expertise of the CMA CGM Group and Brittany Ferries, it will also help promote the development of cross-Channel shipping and underpin France’s position in the sector.

Findings from a survey suggesting that ferries are poised to lead post-pandemic travel demand will underline an upbeat agenda when global trade association Interferry stages its 45th annual conference in October.Taking place in Santander, Spain, the latest edition of the ferry community’s longest-established conference is themed The Future is Ferries – marking it as a showcase for positive solutions and prospects in response to COVID-19, climate change and other major challenges.The survey results will feature in a presentation by London-based transport and logistics specialist L.E.K.

Finnish naval architecture firm Deltamarin said it has signed design contracts with China Merchants Jinling shipyard (Weihai) for the complete basic and detail design packages of three RoPax vessels. These are the 10th, 11th and 12th Stena E-Flexer vessels for two different end clients.Vessel no. 10 will be chartered by a Canadian federal Crown corporation, Marine Atlantic, from Stena RoRo. The vessel will have a capacity of 1,100 persons and approximately 2,600 lane meters. It has liquefied natural gas (LNG) dual fuel engines and a battery hybrid solution to minimize emissions.

Bureau Veritas (BV) and MaDfly – Marine Drone Services – report the completion of a full in-water ship’s hull survey via mini ROV on Brittany Ferries’ ship Bretagne.The survey was supervised by BV on behalf of the French Flag to validate the integrity of the entire ship’s hull’s bottom. According to BV this inspection was the first of its kind, with the test survey performed twice. A remotely operated drone performed an in-water survey with a BV surveyor onboard the vessel. In parallel…

A day after it ordered its tenth E-Flexer vessel in the RoPax class, Stena RoRo on Thursday said it had ordered two new ferries from the Chinese shipyard CMI Jinling (Weihai). To remind, the firm on Monday ordered the tenth unit from the same shipyard for a charter in Canada. The 11th and 12th Stena E-Flexer vessels, ordered Thursday, are in the RoPax class developed by Stena RoRo, with delivery scheduled for 2024 and 2025. Stena RoRo said that at the same time, long-term charter…

Trade group Interferry said its directors have given the green light for the global trade association’s 2021 annual conference to go ahead as planned in Santander, Spain, this October.The decision came at a virtual board meeting held May 20 after detailed consideration of current and forecast advances in combating the COVID-19 pandemic. The outcome was fully supported by Interferry chairman and president Christophe Mathieu, the CEO of event host Brittany Ferries.In line with the customary long-term planning of such events…

From his office overlooking Cherbourg docks, general manager Yannick Millet points to trailers destined for Ireland that belong to Amazon and FedEx, new customers and a signal of a potential big shift in post-Brexit trade.Confronted by red tape and delays after Britain’s messy exit from the European Union, Irish traders are shipping goods directly to and from European ports, shunning the once-speedier route through Britain.“You see the shift in supply chains right here,” he said.All five operators connecting Ireland to mainland Europe have increased ferry services in the past nine months…

Ferry industry trade group Interferry announced Brittany Ferries CEO Christophe Mathieu as the new Chair of its board of directors. He was elected at the association’s annual general meeting on October 27 - held virtually due to COVID-19 travel restrictions - in succession to John Steen-Mikkelsen, former CEO of Denmark’s Danske Faerger. The meeting also confirmed the appointment of a new director extending Southeast Asia representation on the board.Mathieu, an Interferry board member since 2010…

The French government will reimburse 30 million euros ($35.5 million) in payroll costs to French ferry companies hit by the coronavirus crisis and Brexit, Prime Minister Jean Castex told parliament.Shipping firms have suffered from lower traffic to and from Britain due to quarantine measures and uncertainty around Britain's exit from the European union."We have decided to reimburse all of Brittany Ferries' payroll costs for the 2021 financial year.

Finnish marine technology group Wärtsilä has said that its profit-sharing deal based on fuel savings signed two years ago with Brittany Ferries has significantly benefitted both companies. The installation of Wärtsilä's Trim and Speed energy management and optimization technology on the first vessel ‘Cap Finistere’, covered by the contract, was finalized and fully operational in March 2019. The installation was carried out by Wärtsilä Voyage. Wärtsilä says Wärtsilä Voyage is part…

French shipping company Brittany Ferries has terminated its contract with German shipbuilder Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft (FSG) for the construction of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) fueled RoPax ferry, the shipyard announced Thursday.Stefan Denkhaus, general representative of FSG, said, “We cannot understand the customer’s decision, and the termination came as a surprise. According to the calculations of all experts, the completion of the 774 will take 11 to 12 months. The customer…