Supply Chain Council of European Union | Scceu.org
Transportation

Brittany Ferries’ huge new vessel due to enter service this year

Brittany Ferries new vessel Galicia will come into service in December 2020 despite the firm having to lay up ships due to UK-imposed coronavirus quarantines.

Customers are already able to make bookings on the 40,0000-gross-tonnes juggernaut, which will connect Portsmouth and Santander, in northern Spain, with two round trips a week.

Plymouth-headquartered Brittany Ferries said the new ship represents a commitment to fleet renewal and a statement of intent for a successful future – despite Covid woes.

The company is preparing to is to temporarily lay up two ships and slash services, affecting thousands of passengers, after the Government imposed a two-week quarantine on people arriving in the UK from France.



Brittany Ferries’ newest vessel Galicia has undergone successful sea trials off China

It is putting the Armorique vessel into dock and will only use the Pont-Aven to make trips between Plymouth and France and Spain. The ferry Bretagne, which sails out of Portsmouth, will also be laid up.

But none of this will stop the arrival of Galicia, the firm stressed. The vessel will be one of the largest ships to serve the company, and, at 215 metres, will be the longest.

The ship is currently nearing completion at the CMJL shipyard in Weihai, China. Sea trials have successfully taken place, and she will shortly embark on the 10,000-mile voyage to Europe.

On arrival Galicia will undergo a period of crew training and dry-docking for finishing touches, before welcoming first passengers on board as early as mid-December 2020.

Galicia will be Brittany Ferries’ first ship to present “a uniquely Spanish theme and experience for travellers” and, in another first for Brittany Ferries, one dinner and continental breakfast will be included in ticket prices.



How the restaurant will look inside Brittany Ferries’ newest vessel, Galicia

In 2019, the company revealed a 550million-euro fleet renewal programme which also included two other planned sister ships: Salamanca, due in spring 2022, and Santona.

“Fleet renewal is an integral part of our five-year recovery plan and Galicia’s arrival is the result of a commission made in happier times,” said Christophe Mathieu, Brittany Ferries’ chief executive.

“That is why I am delighted to bring this good news story to our staff, freight drivers and passengers today. Our message is clear: we have invested in beautiful new ships. Given the right support to get through this terrible crisis Brittany Ferries can have a bright future, as well as a proud past.”

In a first for French-owned Brittany Ferries, Galicia has been built from the keel up with the ship’s Iberian destination at heart. The ship’s interiors will be filled with décor, paintings, photography, sculptures and murals inviting passengers to take a journey through the towns, countryside and coastlines of northern Spain, and to delve into the rich artistic and cultural heritage of the region that bears her name.

The theme will even extend to the food and drinks served on board, with authentic Spanish dishes and drinks on the menu in bars and restaurants.

Facilities aboard the new ship include a beach-themed Azul restaurant, a town-square-inspired Plaza Mayor bar, an authentic Taberna de Tapas, as well as a boutique.

Alongside en-suite cabins the ship will host an exclusive airline-style premium lounge, where drinks and snacks are included in the entrance fee. The garage will contain parking for over three kilometers of cars and freight vehicles.

The ship has also been designed with the environment and efficiency in mind. Particular attention has been given to Galicia’s fuel-efficient propulsion plant and its long, slender hull and bow, with fine lines giving excellent seakeeping in all weathers, and a significantly lower emissions footprint compared to other ships of a similar size.



Business Live’s Plymouth journalist is William Telford, business editor at Plymouth Live.

To contact William:

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 01752 293116

Twitter: @WTelfordHerald

LinkedIn:www.linkedin.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/william.telford.5473

William has more than a decade’s experience reporting on the business scene in the Ocean City.

To sign up for Business Live’s daily newsletters click here

Her funnel will be fitted with latest closed-loop, exhaust-emission-scrubbers to strip particulate matter (soot) and harmful components, such as sulphur oxides from airborne emissions.

In addition to two return trips a week between Portsmouth and Santander, the ship will offer one weekly round trip between Portsmouth and Cherbourg.

Brittany Ferries’ Pont-Aven and Cap Finistère will also continue to sail between the UK and Spain, with up to seven weekly return sailings in total between the two countries.

“The arrival of Galicia will serve as a statement of our confidence in the future of ‘Spain without the plane’,” added Mr Mathieu. “We started running ferry services from the UK to Spain in 1978, and – in a normal season – they are among our most popular crossings, with around 350,000 passengers per year. Customers know that Spain without the plane means freedom to explore, taking everything you need in your own car, motorhome or bike, and it starts with a fantastic voyage by sea.

“But this is the very first time in the history of Brittany Ferries that we have designed, themed and decorated a ship around Spain. Galicia is the first in an entirely new class of ship for Brittany Ferries, with two sister ships, Salamanca and Santoña coming in 2022 and 2023.”

Related posts

PILOT PROMOTES ROCHELLE WILSON TO VICE PRESIDENT FIELD SALES

scceu

Wheat Rallies on Concerns About Ukraine Exports; Profit-Taking Pressures Corn, Soy

scceu

Free flow of ocean cargo at rising risk from coronavirus

scceu