Brittany Ferries, only ropax, which was withdrawn from the Rosslare-Cherbourg link just last week, has been sold, along with its renaming taking place at the French port where it was originally registered, writes Jehan Ashmore.
Afloat at the time of writing, in the late afternoon of (21 Oct), noted Cotentin's change of name to Nefertitti, as Jordanian interests, including the government, Arab Bridge Maritime, acquired the freight-oriented vessel, custom-built at the STX Shipyard, Helsinki, Finland, in 2007. Afloat took a passage before its final sailing concluded on Monday (5 Oct).
The same Finnish yard built the larger cruise ferry Armorique, but in 2009, is due to enter the Ireland-France route from November until the smaller ropax Commodore Clipper, under repair, is finally to enter service on 8 December, based on consulting the current schedule.
The reflagged ro-ro has a freight capacity for 2,188 lane meters and, as is expected with a ropax design, has a limited passenger capacity of 160, accommodated in 120 twin-berth passenger cabins. They are spread across two decks above a single deck used by truck drivers and motorists, passengers, and foot-based customers, in an 'orange' interior, which certainly is striking, and signage is available in braille, with facilities of an information desk/mini-shop, a bar, a self-service restaurant, and a lounge.
Nefertiti will join Arab Bridge Maritime’s mixed fleet of 12 vessels connecting Arabia and Africa. They comprise five ropax ferries, four fast ferries, and three roro cargo ships serving links between Arabia and Africa.
The newly acquired ropax will be added to the three existing such vessels, among them Al Hussein, the former Irish Sea freight vessel Seatruck Pace (see Afloat's captain's interview), which followed fellow P-class Seatruck Pennant, as the Ur, having also been sold by CLdN in 2023 since its acquisition of Seatruck the year before.
Running the Rosslare route is Barfleur, albeit temporarily, the cruise-ferry (see onboard coverage), which, too, in recent months, was announced to be sold. Following the closure last week on Monday (12 Oct) of the Cherbourg-Poole route, Barfleur’s career on the English Channel came to an end along with the withdrawn Le Harve-Portsmouth link, but prematurely due to a gearbox failure with Commodore Clipper, which is currently undergoing repairs at the Normandy Port.
The closures of two English Channel routes and the disposal of the ropax along with the cruise ferry are part of a major cost-cutting restructuring of Brittany Ferries. The reasons arise from rising costs with the full implementation of the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), leading to increased carbon charges; the impact of Brexit; and the aftermath of COVID-19, which have all combined to put financial pressure on the company.
In addition, declining freight traffic and passenger volumes, particularly from the UK on the Poole route, have been a trend post-Brexit, and operating these aging ferries using conventional fossil fuel more polluting ships has just added to the woes challenging the ferry firm.
Cotentin’s career was launched initially under the company’s freight division, Truckline, exclusively on the Cherbourg-Poole route and also from the UK port to Spain. Then transferred to concentrate on other English Channel routes prior to entering the Rosslare route in recent years. However, only last month, the ferry carried livestock, which, due to animal welfare rights protestors, led to this practice ceasing.
There was, however, an interim charter period last decade, when it was spent with Scandinavian operator Stena Line of Sweden, serving a domestic route from the Nordic nation to Poland, when it was renamed Stena Baltica. As Afloat previously reported, there were reports from UK media that the ropax was sold to Stena, but it was not to be 'full circle' as the ropax embarks on a new career beyond European waters.
