Stena RoRo takes delivery of battery hybrid vessel Guillaume de Normandie

Stena RoRo has taken delivery of E-Flexer No. 12 – in a series of 15 vessels - from Chinese shipyard CMI Jinling (Weihai). The Guillaume de Normandie is long-term chartered to the French shipping company Brittany Ferries. The vessel will be powered by multi-fuel engines as well as the market's largest battery-hybrid package of 12 MWh. With these batteries, the ship will be able to operate in and out of port solely on battery power and  manoeuvre when docking and undocking without using the ship's diesel engines. The Guillaume de Normandie is also equipped with a shore connection with an output of 8 MW for high-speed charging of the batteries, which also enables a completely fossil-free stay when in port. With the installed battery capacity, the vessel can operate at speeds of up to 17.5 knots on batteries alone. The ship's engines can be powered by MGO, LNG, biodiesel or biogas. In addition, the PTI/PTO system with the Battery Power function can be used for propulsion at sea or manoeuvring in port. The system is scalable, which means that in the future, the Guillaume de Normandie can operate entirely on batteries or with a combination of the different fuels. The ship's modern interior (designed by Figura Arkitekter AB) has been especially created for the current route and with clear influences from Normandy. The ship is certified for 1,300 passengers along with 2,410 lane meters of cargo, whereof 176 lane meters are for personal cars.

“It is with great satisfaction and pride that we have now taken delivery of the twelfth E-Flexer vessel in the series,” said Stena RoRo AB managing director Per Westling. “Within the framework of the E-Flexer concept, there has been continuous technical development and we can offer our customers flexible and future-proof propulsion systems that by a wide margin meet both today's and future environmental requirements. The large battery hybrid system we installed on the Guillaume de Normandie means that the ship can operate optimally, in step with regulatory developments, or in accordance with the operator's own policies.”

In April, the ferry will enter service on the Portsmouth – Caen route, replacing the Normandie, which has sailed the route since 1992. This is the fifth of five ordered E-Flexer vessels for the Brittany Ferries fleet.