Car-passenger ferry Armorique was delivered on Jan. 26 from STX Europe's Helsinki yard in Finland to the French operator Brittany Ferries. The vessel is worth approximately 110 million euro and has given some 700 manyears of work for the yard.
The new type of ferry has been developed by STX Europe in close cooperation with Brittany Ferries. She will be particularly fuel efficient as well as environmentally-friendly by keeping CO2 emissions to a minimum.
The vessel is designed to carry passengers, cars and road cargo vehicles between France and the United Kingdom. Named after the national park in Brittany, it has been designed specifically for use between Plymouth and Roscoff.
"STX Europe is proud to have built this state-of-the-art ferry incorporating the very latest environmental technology for Brittany Ferries", said Martin Landtman, President of STX Finland Cruise Oy. "We are the market leader in the world ferry market, and in all our new vessels we have special focus on ecological alternatives and energy economy" Landtman continued.
The 552 ft long and 88 ft wide vessel has an operating speed of 23 knots and top speed of 25 knots. The two-deck loading and discharge allows for fast turnaround times in ports. There will be 980 lane meters of vehicle space, i.e. for 470 cars or some 60 trucks.
With 1,500 passenger capacity, Armorique features a large shopping area, dedicated areas for teenagers, a cinema, and a variety of bars, restaurants and lounges. There are reclining seats for day passengers. A total of 248 cabins will provide overnight accommodation for a maximum of 780 passengers, including a small number of suites.
The hull of the vessel is identical to that of the Cotentin delivered from STX Europe in Helsinki last year. The only difference in the vessels' appearance is that Armorique has a much larger upper deck passenger area.
Brittany Ferries is an old customer to the STX Europe yards. In addition to the two above mentioned, the car-passenger ferries MS Normandie and MS Barfleur were delivered to their fleet in 1992 from the Turku and Helsinki yards of STX Europe.