Brittany Ferries has confirmed the names to be used for their new ships. Kerry will be the name for the one-year charter vessel, which will be operating on the Cork to Santander route from November 2019 to November 2020.

The second new ship in the fleet will be named Santoña (pronounced Santonia). Santoña (an E-Flexer class ship) is part of the company’s €550 million fleet renewal programme, with a clear focus on sustainable development. Santoña will arrive in 2023 and like sister ship Salamanca, she will be powered by environmentally-friendly Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG).

"Brittany Ferries is committed to LNG as the most environmentally-friendly fuelling solution currently available for shipping. Despite the significant investment made in scrubber technology for our ships, we know that the best way to respect the environments in which we operate, and to exceed emission reduction targets, is to commit to LNG. This is what we have done with an investment worth half a billion euros."

said Frédéric Pouget, Brittany Ferries director of fleet and port operations.

The company’s first LNG ship, Honfleur, is currently under construction in Germany and will serve the Portsmouth to Caen ferry route. Salamanca will arrive in 2022 to carry passengers and freight on long haul routes between the UK and Spain. Santoña will join the fleet in 2023.

The E-Flexer class ships will be amongst the largest in Brittany Ferries’ fleet. Each will be 215 metres long with 3,000 garage lane metres for freight vehicles, and capacity for around 1,000 passengers.