Brittany Ferries names its forthcoming hybrid ship
Brittany Ferries announced the name of its forthcoming hybrid ship, which will sail between Portsmouth and Caen. Guillaume de Normandie will be the joint-largest hybrid vessel at sea when she joins the Brittany Ferries fleet in May 2025, sailing alongside sister-ship Saint-Malo, according to the company's release.
She will also be the fourth vessel in the fleet to be fuelled by cleaner liquefied natural gas (LNG). Powered by two 13,740 kW engines, she will be configured to run on LNG, on battery power or on a combination of the two in hybrid mode.
Guillaume de Normandie will replace Brittany Ferries’ Normandie, a loyal servant sailing since 1992. The change will mark the final step in the largest fleet renewal journey in the company’s 50-year history. Five new vessels will have joined the fleet between 2020 and 2025.
Guillaume de Normandie’s hybrid technology will work like a hybrid car, running on fuel, electricity, or a combination of the two. Powered by cleaner LNG at sea, she will switch to LNG-electric and full-electric mode mainly on the approach to harbours and at quay. Preliminary studies suggest a fuel consumption reduction of up to 9 per cent when in service, thanks to her hybrid technology.
She will also be plug-in ready, meaning zero-emissions when alongside. The aim in Caen is to have shore-side power in place by 2027 thanks to investment by the Normandy region and Ports de Normandie. Portsmouth International Port is investing too. Plans are progressing well on funding and infrastructure development.
When Guillaume de Normandie’s batteries can be charged at quay in Portsmouth and Caen, there will be a further estimated 15 per cent reduction in climate change emissions. That’s in addition to a 20-25 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions that comes courtesy of more efficient combustion in an LNG engine.
As well as her innovative propulsion system, Guillaume de Normandie benefits from the latest innovations in naval architecture. Her hull design, for example, is long and sleek (33.5m longer than the ship she will replace) reducing energy consumption by up to 10 per cent, as well as cutting noise pollution and promising a smoother ride for passengers.
Air quality pollutants will be cut to a minimum too. Whether operating in LNG or hybrid mode, her funnel will emit no soot (particulates) and virtually no sulphur. There will also be a significant reduction in nitrogen dioxide emissions, compared with a diesel-powered ship. This means Guillaume de Normandie will be a good neighbour to those living and working around ports.
So Guillaume de Normandie will be cleaner from day one in service. And she has the potential to become even greener in the years that follow, as shore-side power is turned-on and thanks to engines that can work with e-fuels of the future like e-methane, when these are available to shipping.
Brittany Ferries was conceived in 1972, starting life as a freight-only service on 2nd January the following year. The first ferry (Kerisnel) linked Roscoff in Brittany with Plymouth in the South of England and carried a cargo of cauliflowers and cognac.
