Brittany Ferries’ new LNG-fueled cruise ferry ‘Honfleur’ was launched to the water for the first time at a traditional ceremony at the FSG shipyard in Flensburg, Germany. The vessels is expected to act as an environmental pioneer on the English Channel, as it will be the first ship on the Channel to be powered by LNG, when it enters service in summer 2019.
The launch is the third milestone in the construction of Honfleur, following cutting of the first steel in March, and laying of the keel in August.
Honfleur introduces new terms of sustainability on its route. The ship’s hull has been hydro-dynamically optimised; this combined with gas-electric propulsion machinery will reduce energy consumption while improving onboard comfort and minimising vibration and noise levels.
Over the coming weeks and months, two ‘mega blocks’ currently en route by barge from shipyards in Poland will be hoisted into position by giant cranes, and the ferry’s interiors will be installed. Then, the ship will complete a series of sea trials allowing every system on board to be rigorously tested, before the first passengers board the vessel on the Portsmouth to Caen/Ouistreham route in summer 2019. The route is highly popular carrying around 1 million passengers, 300,000 cars and 100,000 freight units each year.
It’s a statement of our commitment to fleet renewal and long-term, sustainable development. And it will be the first of three new ships to be delivered post-Brexit, all part of a €450m investment programme to make Brittany Ferries fit for the future,
…said Jean-Marc Roué, Brittany Ferries’ president on the occasion of the launch.
