Brittany Ferries Order 52,000 gt Gas-Powered Cruise Ferry

Leading French ferry and holiday company, Brittany Ferries, says it has placed an order for a new cruise-ferry that will be its largest yet, and one of the biggest such vessels in the world.

Brittany Ferries explain they and STX France have been co-operating for two years on a study regarding the feasibility of powering a cruise-ferry by LNG, with the result that the ship, costing some 270 million euros (£225 million) will be built by STX France in St. Nazaire and she will enter service in late spring 2017.

This new ship will replace Brittany Ferries' current flagship, Pont-Aven, which will move to the Portsmouth-St Malo route. Operating on the longer routes between UK and Spain, she will have many of Pont-Aven's features, such as an indoor swimming pool, two cinemas, restaurants, pet kennels, and so on

Mike Bevens, Group Commercial Director comments: "This represents a huge investment which will benefit not simply our customers but the environment as well. Unlike other forms of transport, such as aircraft or trains, every one of our ships is different, each possessing its own unique character."

Technical information
    •    Length 210 metres
    •    Width 32 metres
    •    Draught 7 metres
    •    Gross tonnage: 52,500
    •    Maximum speed: 24.5 knots
    •    Dual fuel propulsion capability with marine gas oil as back up
    •    Number of decks: 12
    •    Number of passengers: 2,474
    •    Number of crew: 189
    •    Number of cabins: 675
    •    Garage capacity: 800 cars or mix, for example, of 325 cars plus 80 freight units