Dutch firm Titan LNG said it has signed a long-term agreement with French shipping company Brittany Ferries to bunker two LNG-powered ferries.
Under the deal, Titan will deliver LNG and liquefied biomethane (LBM) to two hybrid RoPax vessels that Brittany Ferries will operate between England and France from 2025.
The ferries will serve established routes connecting Portsmouth with Saint-Malo, and Portsmouth with Ouistreham.
Titan said in a statement on Monday it aims to supply fuel to both vessels during usual cargo operations alongside (SIMOPS) to avoid delays to sailing schedules.
It did not reveal any information regarding volumes or the duration of the contract.
The two 194.7 meters long ships with a capacity for 1,400 passengers will join Brittany Ferries’ fleet in 2024 and 2025 replacing two old vessels, namely the 1989-built Bretagne and the 1992-built Normandie.
Also, the ferries will follow two new LNG-fueled ships, Salamanca, which entered service in March this year, and Santona which will join the fleet in 2023.
China Merchants Jinling Shipyard in Weihai is building these ships for owner Sweden’s Stena RoRo and charterer Brittany Ferries.
LNG bunkering expansion
Titan is working on a large fleet of LNG bunkering vessels and besides chartered ships, it already operates the bunkering barges FlexFueler 001 and 002.
It is also working on its planned 8,000 cbm vessel, Titan LNG Hyperion, and a new tank concept.
The firm said this partnerships with Brittany Ferries marks the “significant expansion” of its operations in the English Channel.
This would boost the availability of LNG, LBM, and in the longer run hydrogen-derived LNG in the region, it said.
Moreover, Titan said it would bring additional barge capacity to meet this demand.
“There are plans for a Krios series vessel to serve Brittany Ferries and to regularly transit between relevant ports,” it said.