China Merchants Jinling Shipyard in Weihai has launched Stena’s LNG-powered ferry Santona which will serve French shipping firm Brittany Ferries.
The Chinese shipyard said in a statement it launched the 214.5 meters long ferry on April 20 during a ceremony attended by officials from Sweden’s Stena RoRo and classification society DNV.
This is the ninth E-Flexer class RoPax vessel China Merchants Jinling Shipyard in Weihai built for Stena.
Santona has a designed speed of 23 knots, a lane length of 2,705 meters, and a capacity of 1,015 passengers.
The vessel features Wartsila’s 12V46DF LNG dual-fuel main engine and meets the 1C ice class, the Chinese shipyard said.
It is a sister ship to LNG-powered Salamanca, also chartered by Brittany Ferries, which recently completed its inaugural voyage from the UK to Spain.
Brittany Ferries previously said it expects LNG-powered Santona to join its fleet in 2023.
The vessel will connect Portsmouth with Santander, the capital of Cantabria and gateway to so-called green Spain.
Both Bilbao and Santander Ports will host bunkering terminals to power the two ships, supplied by Spain’s Repsol.
Besides these two ships, Brittany Ferries and Stena RoRo also signed a deal for two additional 194 meters long hybrid vessels which will sail on LNG but they will also feature batteries and shore power.
These vessels will join Brittany Ferries in 2024 and 2025.