Brittany Ferries and Titan LNG have signed a long-term agreement for the supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and liquefied biomethane (LBM) to two new hybrid LNG-powered Ro-Pax vessels that Brittany Ferries will operate between England and France from 2025.

The ferries will serve established routes linking Portsmouth to Saint-Malo and Portsmouth to Ouistreham. Titan said it will aim to provide fuel to both vessels during usual cargo operations alongside (SIMOPS) to avoid delays in sailing schedules.

The two LNG hybrid vessels of 194.7 meters and 1,400 passengers will join the fleet in 2024 and 2025 replacing two of Brittany Ferries’ oldest vessels, Bretagne (1989) and Normandie (1992). They will follow two new LNG-powered vessels, Salamanca, which entered service in March this year, and Santoña which will arrive in the fleet in 2023.

The hybrid vessels will have a large 10 MWh hybrid battery power system for propulsion and maneuvering in port and an 8 MW shore power connection that will allow charging in port, when infrastructure allows. .

Régine Portocarero, Business Development Manager for Titan LNG, said: “We look forward to continuing our journey with Brittany Ferries and these innovative vessels. We believe that strong partnerships are essential for the maritime industry to successfully decarbonise. Additionally, thanks to the unique agricultural shareholding structure that underpins Brittany Ferries, we see great potential in the stocks available for local LBM production.

“Vessels like Salamanca, Santoña and our future hybrid vessels are cleaner today and greener tomorrow,” added Frédéric Pouget, Operations and Ports Director for Brittany Ferries. “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 on future fuels like hydrogen-derived liquid methane, all without adaptations. These fuels will further reduce GHG emissions well into the standby state. Our new vessels will therefore automatically become greener when these fuels arrive and there is great potential to extend the development of the LBM value chain with Titan LNG.

This partnership marks the significant expansion of Titan’s operations in the English Channel, which will improve the availability of LNG, LBM and, in the longer term, hydrogen-derived LNG in the region, the company said. Titan will provide additional barge capacity to meet this demand. A Krios series vessel is expected to serve Brittany Ferries and transit between the relevant ports on a regular basis.