european operator wanted to significantly improve the environmental performance of its cruise-ferry fleet
By
Rebecca Gibson |
Brittany Ferries has completed a £60 million project to significantly improve the environmental performance of its cruise-ferry fleet.
Over the past 18 months, the European ferry operator has carried out work to install exhaust gas cleaning systems – known as scrubbers – on six vessels to eliminate its sulphur emissions and significantly reduce diesel particulate output. The last two to be refitted, Pont-Aven and Amorique, have both recently returned to service.
Armorique, which operates between Roscoff in France and Plymouth, UK underwent work at Spain’s Astander shipyard, while engineers at Gdansk shipyard in Poland worked on the 2,400-passenger Pont-Aven. The ferry takes passengers between Portsmouth, UK, Spain and France, as well as from France to Ireland.
“As a company we are proud of our reputation as guardians of the land and stewards of the sea,” said Mike Bevens, Brittany Ferries group commercial director. “Today we are still largely owned by the collective of French farmers who launched the company more than 40 years ago, with the aim of linking territories and improving trade. These aims have always been framed by a will to respect the environments in which we operate and this significant investment is testament to our on-going commitment.”
Barfleur, which sails between Poole, UK and Cherbourg, France, and on the Cap Finistère route to Spain, also features a scrubber, while Mont St Michel and Normandie, which both sail between Portsmouth and Caen, France, were fitted with the technology in 2015. This makes the Portsmouth-Caen route, which will celebrate its 30th anniversary this year and carries nearly one million passengers annually, almost emission free.
Brittany Ferries also aims to minimise fuel consumption and optimise efficiency by reducing the speed of overnight crossings and harnessing tides and the wind. All of its vessels also feature water treatment units and low-toxicity, silicon-based anti-fouling paints on their hulls to reduce water pollution.