Brittany Ferries says it is celebrating a summer season boosted by the arrival of two LNG-electric hybrid ships, as a result of which passenger volumes rose 3% from June to September to 1.2m.
Its flagship route serving Portsmouth and Caen carried 415,824 of those passengers, who travelled on the new vessel Guillaume de Normandie, one of two hybrids to have joined the fleet in spring 2025. Their arrival marked the final step in the largest fleet renewal programme in the company’s 52-year history.
On entering and leaving Portsmouth port the hybrids travel on pure electric propulsion. That means no emissions, little vibration and no noise other than the hull gliding through water.
Brittany Ferries CEO Christophe Mathieu said: “On many departures passengers are unaware the ship is moving until they see sights like Spinnaker Tower passing on the port side.”
Brittany Ferries says it is celebrating a summer season boosted by the arrival of two LNG-electric hybrid ships, as a result of which passenger volumes rose 3% from June to September to 1.2m.
Its flagship route serving Portsmouth and Caen is responsible for about 40% of passenger traffic, and carried 415,824 passengers, who travelled on the new vessel Guillaume de Normandie, one of two hybrids to have joined the fleet in spring 2025. Their arrival marked the final step in the largest fleet renewal programme in the company’s 52-year history. Guillaume’s sister ship Saint-Malo joined the fleet in February 2025, completing the largest fleet renewal programme in the company’s history. She too is a cleaner, greener LNG-electric hybrid
On entering and leaving Portsmouth port the hybrids travel on pure electric propulsion. That means no emissions, little vibration and no noise other than the hull gliding through water.
Brittany Ferries CEO Christophe Mathieu said: “On many departures passengers are unaware the ship is moving until they see sights like Spinnaker Tower passing on the port side. Meanwhile, Pompey [Portsmouth] residents used to the visceral thumping of cruise ship diesel engines have started to call our hybrids The Brittany Ferries’ ghost ships.”
Mathieu continued: “We continue to scale what seemed to be an insurmountable mountain when the Covid crisis struck. These latest figures are proof that we are getting stronger every year and I am delighted that we continue to grow. Our path to the future looks brighter than it has done for many years. “This only comes thanks to careful management of our fleet. That includes adding new ships and our ability to move swiftly when opportunity knocks. I must also thank all those who work within our company, on board and on shore for their hard work and dedication.”
The company chose 31 October, Hallowe’en, to publish the press release accompanied by a manipulated image captioned ‘Ghost Ship’
Image: The ‘Ghost Ship’ image of ‘Guillaume de Normandie’ leaving Portsmouth (source: Brittany Ferries)
