News
No smoking. LNG vessels are better for your health
-
Santona from Round Tower in Portsmouth June 2023
-
Cap Finistere from Round Tower in Portsmouth 2019
Brittany Ferries is in the middle of the biggest fleet renewal programme in its history. Between 2019 and 2025, five new vessels will have joined the fleet. And each one is much cleaner than the ship she replaces.
Santoña for example, which links Portsmouth with Santander in Spain, is one of two LNG (liquefied natural gas) ships already in service. She replaced Cap Finistère, which was sold two years ago. Now images of the two ships taken from the same location on the Round Tower in Old Portsmouth reveal the clear benefits of LNG power to the environment.
As well as a 20% reduction in CO2 (carbon dioxide emissions), LNG powered vessels like Santoña emit virtually no “air quality” emissions from the funnel. There are no soot particles, no sulphur and 90% less nitrogen dioxide compared with a diesel-powered ship like Cap Finistère. It’s great news for the health and wellbeing of Portsmouth residents, as well as those working in and around ports.
There’s even better news to come. Within the next two years, two new LNG-hybrid vessels will join Santoña on the Brittany Ferries fleet. Serving routes from Pompey to Caen and Pompey to St Malo, these well-appointed cruise ferries will work just like a hybrid car. They will run on cleaner LNG, on battery power or a combination of the two.
The best bit is that Saint-Malo and Guillaume de Normandie will be shore-power ready. Come spring 2025 when both enter service, they can simply plug-in at quay for zero emissions when alongside.
Portsmouth International Port is working hard with partners to ensure shore power is a reality from day one, to maximise fully the benefits of these greener hybrid ships.
Ends