Brittany Ferries and STX St Nazaire shipyard are working together to build the world’s largest LNG-fuelled ferry, local media reports.
The new ship will be built at STX in St Nazaire; apparently the proposal for the ferry originated from the yard, which hoped to transfer its LNG expertise gained in building gas carriers to other types of ship.
It is understood the vessel will be 210m length, 34m beam, and carry 2,450 passengers, a total of 650 cars and 60 lorries in 2,500 lane-metres of garage space.
It is thought the vessel will use dual-fuel engines and a high-efficiency electric propulsion system to reduce energy consumption and CO2 and SOx emissions.
Brittany Ferries apparently regards the new ship as the first step in renewal of its fleet to future environmental standards.
In advance of the 2015 ECA sulphur limit, the company is converting its newer ferries to run on MDO, and the new ship will replace the 30-year-old Bretagne.
Codenamed 'Pegasis' (power efficient gas innovative ship), the vessel is the result of a joint study initiated in 2011 between STX and Brittany Ferries.
Brittany Ferries has also been involved in the EU-funded SeaGas project with a scheme to establish LNG fuelling facilities at the port of Roscoff.
