Brittany Ferries’ new LNG-hybrid ship arrives in Portsmouth

A month before her first commercial visit, the Saint-Malo, Brittany Ferries new LNG-electric hybrid ship, arrived and left Portsmouth without subjecting the port city to the emissions they usually suffer on such visits.

The Saint-Malo, which arrived in Portsmouth as part of a trial operational to prepare her for service, is the biggest hybrid vessel to enter service, running on LNG (liquefied natural gas), battery power or a combination of the two. While entering and leaving a port – as well as while berthed there – the ship will operate exclusively on electricity.

This is particularly significant for port cities as it will effectively eliminate the NOx and S02 emissions from which they have long suffered.

A recent report from Clean Air South found that Southampton and Portsmouth had 15 Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) between them, representing around half of those in the Central South region.

However, while this might be excellent news for Portsmouth,  many question the use of LNG as an alternative fuel, given that it consists primarily of methane, an extremely powerful greenhouse gas.

To their credit Brittany Ferries acknowledge that LNG ‘is not perfect’ but contend that: ‘it is a significant step in the right direction.’

Furthermore, they point out that the ship’s engines are fuel agnostic, meaning that they can run on ‘forthcoming renewable fuels’ such as bio-methane (which is produced from renewable sources, while LNG is traditionally sourced from fossil fuels).

Saint-Malo is the fourth of five hybrid-LNG ships that Brittany Ferries are introducing to their fleet. The first three took to the sea between the end of 2020 and 2023, while the Guillaume de Normandie will enter service later this year. 

Christophe Mathieu, CEO of Brittany Ferries. said: ‘This week we turned the page on a new chapter in the history of Brittany Ferries. Residents and port partners will certainly have heard and seen her first arrival, thanks to water-cannon and welcoming fog horns. But they won’t have seen anything untoward from her funnel. That’s because she ran in and out of the harbour on pure electric power – and will continue to do so as she serves Portsmouth in the years to come.’

Councillor Steve Pitt, Leader of Portsmouth City Council added: ‘The arrival of Saint-Malo is the latest step in our long-standing partnership with Brittany Ferries, and also marks a big milestone in our shared sustainability ambitions’

‘Not only will Saint-Malo be the first to use LNG bunkering in Portsmouth, but she will also be ready to receive clean electricity from our shore power system when it goes live later this year, making her journeys greener and improving air quality for the city.’