Operator Brittany Ferries is proud to have been awarded the 'Green Marine Certified Shipowner' accreditation for the fourth year in a row.
The accolade to the Breton based company was presented during a ceremony held this week in Bilbao, the port in northern Spain which is conveniently serviced by Brittany Ferries' eco-friendly vessel, Salamanca. Afloat adds the E-Flexer series ship operates direct routes from Rosslare Europort including crossings currently to Cherbourg.
Bilbao is also the location of a brand-new LNG (liquefied natural gas) bunkering terminal, which is already fuelling Brittany Ferries' newest LNG-powered ships.
For Brittany Ferries, fleet renewal has been key to its progress. It is currently in the middle of the largest investment in ship replacement in its 50-year history. Between 2019 and 2025 five new vessels will have joined the fleet, replacing older and less environmentally friendly ships.
Four of these new vessels will be powered by cleaner liquefied natural gas (LNG) and two will be LNG-electric hybrids (arriving in spring 2025). Both hybrids will be shore-power ready, meaning zero emissions when they are able to plug-in quayside.
“We are really pleased that investment in fleet renewal is delivering progress on many Green Marine criteria for Brittany Ferries and will continue to do so in the years ahead,” said Brittany Ferries head of Sustainability Vincent Coquen, who was also the driving force behind the company’s commitment to the Green Marine programme. “For example this year we have been able to demonstrate a fleet-wide reduction in harmful nitrogen dioxide (NOx) emissions*, achieving the highest level 5 for this criteria.”
Mr Coquen continued, “Of course, Brittany Ferries is not just focusing on emissions reduction on its voyage to a more sustainable future. For example, next year the company hopes to demonstrate an improvement in oily water management, making the step up from 2 to 3 on the Green Marine ladder. Challenging as it may be, our entire technical team are determined to make it five years in a row when the next round of awards are made in 2024.”
Brittany Ferries was one of the founding signatories of the Green Marine programme. It originally chose Green Marine because of its rigour, independence and demand for continuous improvement.
Shipping companies sign up to eight sustainability criteria, focusing on areas including air and water quality, the protection of biodiversity and waste management. They are independently assessed each year on progress, via a scale of 1-5. Only those that are able to demonstrate a step up the scale on at least one criteria, continue to receive the award.
