Dutch company Titan LNG has signed a long-term agreement with Brittany Ferries of France for the supply of LNG and Liquified Bio Methane (LBM) to two new LNG-fuelled hybrid ro-pax vessels scheduled to operate between England and France from 2025.
The ferries will serve established routes connecting Portsmouth with Saint-Malo and Ouistreham. Titan aims to supply fuel to both vessels during usual cargo operations alongside (SIMOPS) to avoid delays to sailing schedules.
The two 194.7m, 1,400-passenger LNG-hybrid ships will join the fleet in 2024 and 2025 replacing two of the longest-serving vessels, Bretagne (1989) and Normandie (1992). They will follow two new LNG-fuelled ships, Salamanca, which entered service in March 2022, and Santoña which will arrive on fleet in 2023. The hybrid vessels will have a large battery hybrid power system of 10 MWh for propulsion and manoeuvring in port and an 8 MW electric shore connection that will allow charging in port, when infrastructure allows. As well as significantly cutting emissions, hybrid propulsion promises less noise and a smoother ride for passengers.
Régine Portocarero, Titan LNG Business Development Manager, said: “We look forward to our journey forward with Brittany Ferries and these innovative ships. We believe strong partnerships are essential for the maritime industry to successfully decarbonise. Furthermore, thanks to the unique farmer-shareholder ownership structure that underpins Brittany Ferries we see great potential in available stocks for local LBM production.”
Frederic Pouget, Operations and Ports Director, Brittany Ferries, said: “Ships like Salamanca, Santoña and our forthcoming hybrid ships are cleaner today and greener tomorrow. Thanks to LNG, they promise an immediate and significant improvement in air quality and a reduction in GHG emissions. They are greener tomorrow because they can run on fuels like LBM and, later, future fuels like hydrogen-derived liquid methane, all without adaptations. These fuels will slash well-to-wake GHG emissions further. Our new vessels will therefore automatically become greener when these fuels arrive and there is great potential for expanding the development of the LBM value chain with Titan LNG.”
The partnership marks a significant expansion of Titan’s operations in the English Channel which will enhance the availability of LNG, LBM, and in the longer run hydrogen-derived LNG in the region. Titan will bring additional barge capacity to meet this demand. There are plans for a Krios series vessel to serve Brittany Ferries and to regularly transit between relevant ports.
