New £81 Million Brittany Ferries Passenger Cruise-Ferry to be Named "Armorique"

The new ship on order from the Aker shipyard in Helsinki is to be called “Armorique” after the national park of outstanding beauty in western Brittany. This is not the first ferry in the Brittany Ferries fleet to bear this name: the previous Armorique operated from 1975 to 1992.

The new £81 million vessel will be used solely on the Plymouth-Roscoff route replacing Pont l'Abbé, currently on short-term charter, in the autumn of 2008.

David Longden, Managing Director, comments: "Armorique is being designed specifically for the Plymouth-Roscoff route and will provide new levels of comfort for our passengers. It is part of our ongoing plan to become not only the most modern, but the most comfortable fleet on the channel."

Note to Editors:

• Armorique will be 167 metres long and 26.8 metres wide. With a cruising speed of 23 knots, she will have 250 cabins and be able to accommodate 1500 passengers, 470 cars and 65 lorries.
• There are currently two ships on order with the Aker shipyard. The other is for a freighter, Cotentin, due for delivery in 2007 and which will be identical to Armorique from the keel to deck five.
• The combined investment in these two ships totals £135 million

Released 4 December 2006