China Merchants Jinling Shipyard has launched an LNG-powered ferry for French shipping firm Brittany Ferries.
The CMJL shipyard in Weihai floated out the vessel named Salamanca on January 6.
Furthermore, the vessel is the second of three E-Flexer class ships Brittany Ferries chartered from Stena and will join sister ship Galicia, when she enters service in the spring of 2022.
Galicia entered service in December 2020. Salamanca will join in 2022 with the third ship Santona following in 2023.
Both Salamanca and Santona will sail on LNG and will serve the company’s long-distance routes connecting the UK with Spain.
In addition, the Spanish energy firm Repsol will supply the facilities for storing LNG. Under a deal with Brittany Ferries, the company will build two quayside LNG bunkering terminals in the ports of Santander and Bilbao, including a 1,000 cbm storage tank to ensure uninterrupted supply for Salamanca and Santona.
Salamanca features two Wartsila 12V46DF engines generating 13,740 kW each (18,500 horsepower per engine).
Like her sister vessel, Salamanca will weigh-in at over 42,000 gross tonnes. That means she will be one of the largest ships ever to serve Brittany Ferries and at 215 metres long she will be joint-longest.
The French-flagged vessel will carry 1,015 passengers, with over 2.7km of lane-space to house passenger and freight vehicles.