Brittany Ferries shelves LNG fuel plans

Brittany Ferries of France said it has scrapped plans to build an EUR 270 million LNG-fuelled newbuilding and convert its existing ships to run on the chilled gas.

Brittany Ferries chairman Jean-Marc Roue said that the company did not win a temporary exemption for its fleet from next year’s new sulphur emissions regulations and that a decision has been made “to suspend the LNG component of the company’s ecological transition plan.”

“It is impossible for us to commit to an ecological transition plan which requires such a high level of investment, when, due to the absence of a temporary exemption, we will also incur hefty additional annual costs amounting to tens of millions of euros, due to us being obliged to use diesel instead of heavy fuel oil until our ships have been converted,” he said.

Brittany Ferries announced in January that it had ordered an LNG-powered ferry to be built by STX France in St. Nazaire for 270 million euros to replace its current flagship, Pont-Aven.

The company also planned to install gas scrubbers on three ships and to convert three newer vessels to run on LNG.