The newest member of Brittany Ferries, Guillaume de Normandie, the fifth and final Stena RoRo developed E-Flexer class of chartered hybrid ships, which will be French flagged and crewed, is to enter service this month, writes Jehan Ashmore.
Guillaume de Normandie’s first commercial sailing takes place on Friday, 18 April, where passengers on the company’s busiest Portsmouth-Caen (Ouistreham), Normandy route are promised a voyage of comfort and style in the years ahead. Passengers will feel that they have arrived on the shores of Normandy the moment they step on board the new build, just shy of 195m.
The newbuild replaces Normandie, built in 1992 and which Afloat adds has been sold to another French operator, Le Méridionale (part of CMA-GCM), as their Massalia for the Marseille-Tanger Med, Morocco crossing. As for the arrival of Guillaume de Normandie, it will mark the end of the largest investment in fleet renewal in Brittany Ferries’ history, as five new ships will have joined the fleet between 2020 and 2025.
During that timeframe, Afloat highlights the leadship Galicia, Salamanca, and Santoña have all entered service, including operating the company’s Ireland-France/Spain routes of Rosslare Europort-Cherbourg/Bilbao. More recently, the debut call to Portsmouth of the fourth E-Flexer, Saint-Malo, which subsequently had its maiden sailing in February on the St. Malo-Portsmouth route, having replaced the company’s first purpose-built cruiseferry, Bretagne, the one-time Cork-Roscoff /company flagship that had been laid up at Le Havre, Afloat will have more to report.
Of the five E-Flexers, Guillaume de Normandie will be the second new LNG-electric hybrid-powered vessel of the class; and likewise of Saint-Malo, this cleaner, greener newbuild, as Brittany Ferries highlights, is to serve as a love letter to the region that bears its name. That means accents of Normandy everywhere on board, a floating homage to a region steeped in history, rich in arts and culture, and renowned for its cuisine.
In terms of power, the newest E-Flexer hybrid drivetrain promises lower emissions at sea, due to cleaner liquefied natural gas (LNG). The newbuild will switch to electric power when entering Portsmouth ('Pompey’—local nickname) Harbour and while manoeuvring at quay, promising zero emissions, the company claims, for those living and working around the large waterfront city.
The final piece of the sustainable jigsaw will follow, with shore power connections at Portsmouth International Port, as Afloat previously reported, is to be made available at the UK’s second busiest port on the English Channel.
Guillaume de Normandie’s arrival precedes the completion of electrical installation work in Portsmouth by a couple of months (and in Ouistreham by a couple of years). The project, called Sea Change, involves a host of partners at the UK port and is supported by government ZEVI funding.
When complete, there will be no need for ferries to run engines while alongside. That’s because onboard systems will be powered by direct connection to shore. Furthermore, ships’ batteries can be recharged ahead of departure from Pompey.
Beyond the innovative hybrid drivetrain and plug-in capability, Guillaume de Normandie will launch a number of new concepts and services for passengers, including Couchette Plus lounges. These present a new way of travelling, particularly for school groups, at a more accessible price.
There will also be a new dining concept, called the Café du Port, serving freshly baked French pastries, complemented by the visual surroundings in Normandie-based art.
Guillaume de Normandie will benefit from the same spacious cabins as other E-Flexers with an exclusive Club lounge. It hosts 10 decks to carry a maximum capacity of 1,300 passengers with wide-open spaces and 220 cabins, including luxurious commodores and allergy-friendly cabins. Twenty-one of its cabins will be pet-friendly.
What other improvements can passengers expect? Compared with the ship it replaces, the Normandie, which made a brief Irish debut last year, is to see comfort and accessibility come as standard, with a spacious vehicle deck making entry and exit from cars and lorries easier even for those with mobility problems.
