Largest LNG ferry for France

The ship, codenamed ‘Pegasis’ (power efficient gas innovative ship) 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.

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 will be 210m length oa, 34m beam, and carry 2,450 passengers. 650 cars and 60 lorries will be accommodated in 2,500 lane-metres of garage space. It will use dual-fuel engines, and make extensive use of lightweight compound materials.

Brittany Ferries 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. It sees the use of distillate fuels as only an interim measure, as the price of MDO is expected to be some 35% more than HFO, and in order to remain competitive the company must look at more efficient ships and less expensive fuel.