News
Brittany Ferries and Repsol extend their agreement for the delivery of LNG for long-haul Spanish routes
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From left to right: Frédéric Pouget, Brittany Ferries’ Fleet and Operations Director - Eugenia Bertrand Alonso, Head of LNG Bunkering - Laura Rejón-Pérez, Repsol’s Wholesale & Gas Trading Director - Bertrand Crispils, LNG and Alternative Fuels Technical Manager - Nicolas Jobin, Legal & Insurance executive – legal dept.
Tuesday July, 30 2019
- Brittany Ferries and Repsol have extended their agreement signed last February for the supply of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) to the ferry operator’s Spanish operations.
- Repsol will build two LNG bunker terminals, at the ports of Bilbao and Santander.
- The LNG bunker agreement between the two companies provides the basis for the long term supply of LNG-fuel and key shoreside infrastructure to the new LNG-powered cruise-ferries Salamanca and Santoña, which are scheduled to enter service from 2022.
Repsol will supply LNG to Brittany Ferries’ operations in Spain. Under the agreement, the energy company will build two LNG bunker terminals at the ports of Bilbao and Santander, where Brittany Ferries conducts its Spanish operations. Each terminal will include an intermediate storage tank of 1,000 m3 to guarantee an uninterrupted supply.
Repsol will supply LNG bunker fuel to Brittany Ferries’ Salamanca and Santoña during the ships’ regular visits on routes linking Portsmouth, UK and northern Spain, beginning in 2022.
“Liquefied Natural Gas offers significant environmental advantages over traditional marine fuels, and we’re extremely pleased to work with Repsol on LNG fuelling operations for our future ferries in Spain. Salamanca and Santoña will be our second and third LNG-powered vessels, and the first to operate to and from northern Spain. Repsol’s expertise in the field of LNG refuelling and environmentally friendly fuels, as well as its ability to deliver to us makes them a trusted partner. These new terminals will allow regular, flexible and reliable deliveries during the calls of Salamanca and Santoña in our Spanish ports,” said Frédéric Pouget, Fleet and Operations Manager Brittany Ferries.
Repsol’s Wholesale & Gas Trading Director, Laura Rejón Pérez said: “As energy leaders, Repsol has added LNG to its extensive portfolio of marine fuels. We consider natural gas as a key fuel in energy transition, and this agreement reflects our commitment to provide clean and affordable energy. The LNG bunker terminals in Bilbao and Santander will provide security of supply and flexibility. This project is a reflection of Repsol’s commitment to providing solutions to our clients”
Salamanca and Santoña will follow in the wake of Honfleur (currently under construction in Germany and due to enter service early 2020) as the second and third LNG-powered ships in Brittany Ferries’ fleet. LNG provides major environmental advantages, reducing carbon dioxide, and cutting sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and particulate emissions to almost zero. LNG also complies with the IMO 2020 regulation of the International Maritime Organization that will take effect on January 2020.
Ends.
About Brittany Ferries
In 1967 a farmer from Finistère in Brittany, Alexis Gourvennec, succeeded in bringing together a variety of organisations from the region to embark on an ambitious project: the aim was to open up the region, to improve its infrastructure and to enrich its people by turning to traditional partners such as Ireland and the UK.
In 1972 BAI (Brittany-England-Ireland) was born. The first cross-Channel link was inaugurated in January 1973, when a converted Israeli tank-carrier called Kerisnel left the port of Roscoff for Plymouth carrying trucks loaded with Breton vegetables such as cauliflowers and artichokes. The story therefore begins on 2 January 1973, 24 hours after Great Britain’s entry into the Common Market (EEC). From these humble beginnings however Brittany Ferries as the company was re-named quickly opened up to passenger transport, then became a tour operator.
Today, Brittany Ferries has established itself as the national leader in French maritime transport: an atypical leader, under private ownership, still owned by a Breton agricultural cooperative. Eighty five percent of the company’s passengers are British. Around 210,000 freight units are carried each year.
Brittany Ferries has chosen LNG as the first step in its energy transformation strategy because it offers the best alternative to deal with environmental problems related to air quality in ports. This fuel is cleaner than diesel; it reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 25 per cent and emissions of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and fine particles to almost zero.
Key figures
- Turnover: Approximately €450m per year
- Employment – Between 2,400 and 3,200 employees (including 1,700 seafarers), depending on the season. 360 in the UK.
- Passengers: Between 2.5 and 2.7 million each year travelling in approximately 900,000 cars
- Freight: 210,000 units transported annually, and one freight-only route linking Bilbao and Poole
- 11 ships operating services that connect France, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Spain
- 11 ports in total: Bilbao, Santander, Portsmouth, Poole, Plymouth, Cork, Caen, Cherbourg, Le Havre, Saint-Malo, Roscoff
- Tourism in Europe: 14.5 million nights generated in Europe including 9.4 million in France
www.brittanyferriesnewsroom.com
Contact:
Ellis Malcolm on 02392 892 221 or 07464 980 594 or [email protected]
Christopher Jones on 02392 152 291 or 07917 540 878 or [email protected]
Nigel Wonnacott on 02392 152 273 or 07833 446 729 or [email protected]
About Repsol
Repsol is a global energy company present throughout the whole energy value chain. The company employs more than 25,000 people and its products are sold in more than 90 countries, reaching 10 million customers. Repsol produces over 700,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, 63% of which is gas, and has one of the most efficient refining systems in Europe. The company operates low-emissions electricity generation assets, including photovoltaic and offshore wind power projects. Repsol is pioneering development of mobility initiatives to create new solutions and energy sources for transportation.
Contact:
Tel. 91 753 87 87
www.repsol.com