LNG

Repsol has inaugurated its second supply terminal for liquefied natural gas bunkering for ships arriving in the northwest Spanish port city of Santander, especially its main customer Brittany Ferries.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by regional authorities and Repsol’s divisional Executive Managing Director Juan Abascal.

The new facility has a cryogenic tank with a storage capacity of 1,000 cubic metres in addition to the terminal that Repsol already has in the nearby port of Bilbao.

“This new terminal, that we have just inaugurated is another step in Repsol's commitment to the energy transition and the decarbonization of the maritime sector,” said Repsol’s Abascal.

Both terminals are part of the collaboration agreement that Repsol signed with French shipping company Brittany Ferries in 2019 for the supply of LNG as maritime fuel for its operations in Spain.

Flexibility

“In the design of the Santander terminal, operational flexibility has prevailed, allowing access for any type of vessel and also covering the needs for LNG refuelling of a medium-sized vessels,” said Repsol.

“In addition, the facility allows the simultaneous loading of passengers and fuel, optimizing operations on land and in maritime traffic, which leads to a reduction of emissions in port operations,” Repsol added.

The Brittany Ferries vessel “Santoña” will carry out regular operations at thr new facility in the port of Santander.

The new terminal is co-financed by the European Commission through the CEF-Connecting Europe Facilities Program.

“Advancing towards a carbon-neutral economy is a key priority of the European Commission,” said Richard Ferrer, Head of the Transport Innovation Team at the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency.

Brittany Ferries, the French line that links the UK with Spain and France, has also been introducing newbuild roll-on-roll-off passenger and freight vessels connecting Portsmouth in England with two French ports.

The Brittany Ferries services cover a dozen ports: Spain’s Bilbao and Santander, the UK’s Portsmouth, Poole and Plymouth, the Irish port of Cork and the French ports of Caen, Cherbourg, Le Havre, Ouistreham, Saint-Malo and Roscoff.

Brittany Ferries, the French line that links the UK with Spain and France, has signed an LNG fuel supply deal for newbuild roll-on-roll-off passenger and freight vessels connecting Portsmouth in England with two French ports.

Bureau Veritas, the French maritime classification society, has taken delivery into its class portfolio of the LNG-powered newbuild cruise ferry “Salamanca” constructed for France’s Brittany Ferries in the Chinese Jinling shipyard.

The LNG-fuelled vessel will be able to carry more than 1,000m passengers and be operated by Brittany Ferries on its route between Portsmouth in the UK and the port os Bilbao and Santander in Northern Spain.

The “Salamanca” is the second “E-Flexer” class ferry to enter service with Brittany Ferries as part of its commitment to introduce cleaner and more efficient ships to its fleet in the next five years.

After its sister ship, “Galicia”, joined the fleet in December 2020, “Salamanca” will enter service in March 2022 and will be the first to be fuelled by LNG.

Brittany Ferries started life in 1972 as a freight-only service sailing from Roscoff in Brittany to Plymouth in the South of England with fresh vegetables such as cargoes of artichokes and cauliflowers to please the British palate.

Since then the company developed its “Atlantic Arc” ferry business linking France, the UK, Spain and Ireland.

Analysts noted that it has been a great success in reducing motorway traffic from tourists from the UK who can cut out France in travelling south to Spain and Portugal.

Brittany Ferries said that with a length of 214.5 metres, the “Salamanca” was designed with efficiency and the environment in mind.

The vessel is equipped with twin 12V46DF (dual-fuelled) engines from Finland's Wärtsilä.

The ferry will be supplied with LNG in the ports of Bilbao and Santander, enabling round trips between Spain and Portsmouth.

More LNG vessels

Brittany Ferries plans to deploy three more LNG-fuelled vessels in the coming years with the “Santoña” joining the fleet in 2023 on the The company added that the Portsmouth-Santander-Bilbao route, and two hybrid LNG-electric ships will enter service between France and the UK in time for the 2025 season.

“Renewing our fleet stands as one of the pillars of Brittany Ferries’ recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Arnaud Le Poulichet, Technical Director at Brittany Ferries.

“It goes hand-in-hand with sustainability, and will see the introduction of a range of cleaner vessels that will enable us to reduce our environmental footprint and deliver on our sustainability targets,” stated Le Poulichet.

Bruno Dabouis, Vice President Southern Europe, North Africa and North America at Bureau Veritas Marine and Offshore said BV has been involved in LNG propulsion and bunkering from the very start.

“We are proud to partner with Brittany Ferries as an environmental frontrunner, and we are looking forward to supporting ‘Salamanca’ and its operational life on the route across the Bay of Biscay from the UK to Spain, the longest Brittany Ferries route,” added Dabouis.

French shipping company Brittany Ferries said its third chartered ferry powered by liquefied natural gas has been named the “Santoña” and it expects British passengers to remain its top customers even after the UK leaves the European Union.

Brittany Ferries has signed an agreement with Spanish energy company Repsol for the delivery of liquefied natural gas for its Spanish operations and for ferries serving the UK.