Multi-firm deal to power first LNG French cruise ship

Total Marine Fuels Global Solutions (TMFGS) and Brittany Ferries (BAI) have signed a multi-year contract to supply liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunker to the Honfleur in the port of Ouistreham, France.

The first LNG-powered French cruise ferry, according to BAI, will start operating between Ouistreham and Portsmouth, England by 2019.

To further increase access to LNG, TMFGS has also signed agreements with Dunkerque LNG SAS, owner and operator of the LNG terminal in Dunkirk, and Groupe Charles André (CGA), a European transport and logistics company.

The agreements, according to a company release, will implement a supply chain using ISO containers for LNG bunkering—the deal with Dunkerque LNG covers the construction of an automated truck loading dock where the containers will be filled with LNG, while the CGA deal covers the supply and transportation of ISO containers equipped with geolocation trackers and pressure sensors.

"Brittany Ferries, a leader in passenger transportation in the Arc Atlantique Corridor, is embarking on an innovative partnership with Total and committed to improving our environmental footprint. The shipping industry needs access to LNG. This partnership demonstrates that unique, local solutions can be developed to supply LNG to ships. In the first step of the upcoming energy transformation, Brittany Ferries intends to make LNG the preferred fuel for its future owned newbuilds,” said Frédéric Pouget, Group Maritime port and operations Director of Brittany Ferries.