France’s Brittany Ferries has sidestepped questions about how or if it plans to replace its first LNG-fuelled ferry after cancelling its newbuilding contract at Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft (FSG) shipyard.
The ferry operator and compatriot partner Somanorconfirmed the cancellation of its upcoming 42,000-gt newbuilding Honfleur. The move was announced by the yard last week.
The French companies said that after the “surprise announcement” in May that FSG was to be placed under the protection of the Commercial Court and after unsuccessful discussions with the current management of FSG and its main creditors, they had “lost confidence in the yard’s ability to complete the vessel within a reasonable period of time.”
When asked a series of questions about whether the companies planned to take on the existing hull or move to a replacement vessel, a spokesman for Brittany Ferries said the company had nothing more to add.
Brittany Ferries said the newbuilding, which was to be deployed on the route between Caen in France and the UK’s Portmouth, had been under construction at the German yard since 2017.
“Honfleur was originally scheduled to enter service in June 2019, but delivery of the vessel has been postponed several times due to persistent financial problems encountered by the yard’s management,” the French company said.
“The change of main shareholder in September 2019, with the arrival of Lars Windhorst and the Tennor group, did not allow the yard to return to growth and competitiveness.”
The ropax was the last contract to be cancelled at the troubled German yard.
FSG said last week that it is in talks with “various parties” about completing and financing the ferry which would take another 11 to 12 months to complete.
Brittany Ferries had signed up with energy major Total’s bunkering arm to supply LNG to the vessel.
At the start of 2020 officials for Total Marine Fuels Global Solutions said they anticipated that LNG bunkering operations for the LNG-fuelled ropax would start around mid-year.
TMFGS had devised an innovative fuelling arrangement for the newbuilding which was to received its LNG bunkers in ISO containers.
These were to be filled with LNG at Dunkerque LNG terminal before being delivered to Brittany Ferries in the port of Ouistreham in Normandy.
TMFGS has not replied to a request for comment and clarification on its bunker supply contract for the ship.
