MV Armorique
© Ray Goodfellow
Steel twin screw motor vessel built in 2009 by STX Europe, Helsinki, Finland (Yard No 1362) as a Passenger Roll on – Roll off cargo ferry for Brittany Ferries, Roscoff, France
Technical Data
- Length: 165.0m (overall) 155m (between perpendiculars)
- Breadth: 26.8m
- Depth: 9.30m
- Draught: 6.5m
- Tonnage: 24,468 gross/11,605 net/4200t deadweight
- Engines: (2) 4T – 12 cylinder MaK/Caterpillar 12M43C diesels
- Power: 24000 kW/32608 HP
- Speed: 23.0 knots
- Capacity: 1,500 passengers, 470 cars, 65 freight vehicles.
- Call Sign: FMLW
- MMSI Number: 228263700
- IMO Number: 9364980
- Register Number: 09677V
- Port of Registry: Morlaix/France 🇫🇷
Current AIS Location
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History
January 19th 2006: Ordered.
March 14th 2008: Keel laid.
August 16th 2008: Launched.
© Marko Stampehl (Helsinki, 13/12/2008)
© Aleksi Lindström (Helsinki, 28/01/2009)
December 6th 2008: Trials.
January 17th 2009: Trials.
January 26th 2009: Completed and delivered to BAI SA Bretagne-Angleterre-Irlande (Brittany Ferries), Roscoff, France.
STX Europe
January 28th 2009: Left Helsinki for France.
January 31st 2009: Berthing trials in Plymouth.
February 10th 2009 – November 6th 2009: Services between Plymouth – Roscoff.
November 8th 2009: Berthing trials in Ouistreham.
November 9th 2009: Arrived at ARNO, Dunkerque for refit.
© Robert Fournier (Dunkerque, 11/11/2009)
November 2009: Chartered to the French Navy for military exercises.
December 4th 2009: Arrived in Le Havre and laid up.
February 1st 2010 – March 8th 2010: Services between Cherbourg – Poole.
© Kevin Mitchell (Maritime Images)
March 8th 2010 – March 14th 2010: Services between Ouistreham – Portsmouth.
© Andreas Wörteler (Ouistreham, 13/03/2010)
March 14th 2010 – November 3rd 2010: Services between Plymouth – Roscoff.
January 5th 2011 – February 8th 2011: Services between Ouistreham – Portsmouth.
March 2011 – November 2012: Services between Plymouth – Roscoff.
© Robert J Smith (Plymouth, 10/10/2011)
November 27th 2012: Left Plymouth for St Malo.
November 28th 2012: Services between St Malo – Plymouth.
© Robert J Smith (Portsmouth, 31/01/2012)
March 2013: Services between Plymouth – Roscoff.
November 2013: Refit at ARNO Dunkerque
© Jean-Guy Hagelstein (Dunkerque, 15/11/2013)
© Dan Hall (Flickr)(Portsmouth, January 2014)
October 19th 2014 – December 30th 2014: Covered the Portsmouth-Caen-Portsmouth sailings of the Normandie which was undergoing an extensive refit in Santander.
December 31st 2014-January 2nd 2015: Laid up in Cherbourg.
January 17th 2015: The 20:15 sailing between Portsmouth and St Malo was cancelled due to technical reasons.
January 30th-31st 2015: Owing to adverse weather the overnight St Malo service was diverted to Cherbourg. The return sailing on the 31/01/15 also operated from Cherbourg at 20:30.
February 6th 2015: Operated a one of service between Roscoff and Portsmouth to reposition for the evening crossing from Portsmouth to St Malo.
February 6th – 7th 2015: Covered the weekend Portsmouth-St Malo-Portsmouth service of the Pont Aven which had been delayed by adverse weather in the Bay of Biscay.
© Paul Cloke (Arriving in St Malo, 07/02/2015)
February 27th – February 28th 2015: Operated Portsmouth-St Malo-Portsmouth in place of the Pont Aven which was delayed by adverse weather in the Bay of Biscay.
March 3rd – 15th March 2015: Owing to technical issues with the Etretat the Armorique was transferred to Portsmouth to operate the following sailings:-
- Portsmouth to Bilbao – 3rd March – 08:30
- Bilbao to Portsmouth – 4th March – 14:30
- Portsmouth to Le Havre – 5th March – 23:15 (Freight Only)
- Le Havre to Portsmouth – 6th March – 21:30 (Freight Only)
- Portsmouth to Santander – 7th March – 09:00
- Santander to Portsmouth – 8th March – 14:30
- Portsmouth to Bilbao – 10th March – 08:30
- Bilbao to Portsmouth – 11th March – 14:30
- Portsmouth to Le Havre – 12th March – 23:15 (Freight Only)
- Le Havre to Portsmouth – 13th March – 21:30 (Freight Only)
- Portsmouth to Santander – 14th March – 09:00
- Santander to Portsmouth – 15th March – 13:30
March 16th 2015: Final arrival at Portsmouth from Santander. Due to return in September 2015.
March 16th 2015: Departed Portsmouth for Plymouth to resume services from Plymouth to Roscoff.
March 17th 2015: Resumed regular services between Roscoff and Plymouth.
September 27th 2015: Transferred to the Caen-Portsmouth route to cover for the extended refit of the Mont St Michel.
© Tony Weaver (Brittany Ferries Ships)(Arriving at Portsmouth)
December 18th 2015: Completed service on the Caen-Portsmouth route and repositioned to take up the Plymouth-Roscoff service.
December 26th 2015: Transferred to the Caen – Portsmouth route to cover for the Normandie which was undergoing maintenance alongside in Cherbourg.
January 3rd 2016: Completed last sailing between Caen and Portsmouth before heading to Roscoff to de-store and head for an extensive refit in Santander.
January 6th 2016: Arrived in Santander and entered the Astander shipyard for an extended refit which will see the installation of an exhaust gas cleaning system (scrubbers) and a remodelled funnel casing. Expected to return to service on the 25/03/16.
March 15th 2016: Departed Santander for Gijon to take on bunkers. Departed Gijon for Roscoff that evening.
March 16th 2016: Arrived at Roscoff.
March 25th 2016: Resumed service between Roscoff and Plymouth.
April 19th 2016: Broke down in Plymouth and sailings to Roscoff were cancelled until repairs completed.
November 20th 2016: Transferred to the Poole – Cherbourg route in place of the Barfleur which was undergoing scheduled maintenance.
© Dan Hall (Flickr)(Departing Poole for Cherbourg 27/11/2016)
November 28th 2016: Completed service on the Poole – Cherbourg route and laid up in Cherbourg for scheduled maintenance.
December 1st 2016: Resumed service between Roscoff and Plymouth.
December 31st 2016: Repositioned to Ouistreham ready to take up service on the Caen-Portsmouth route in place of the Normandie.
January 1st 2017: Entered service between Caen and Portsmouth.
© Ray Goodfellow (Arriving at Ouistreham)
February 9th 2017: Completed service on the Caen to Portsmouth route.
February 10th 2017: Departed Portsmouth and arrived in Plymouth to resume service to Roscoff.
November 8th 2018: Sailed to Gdansk for refit, including new livery.
© Göran Olsson (Helsingborg on her way to Cherbourg from Gdansk, 05/12/2018)
December 8th 2018: Arrived back in Portsmouth.
© Nicolas Lévy (Saint Malo, 30/12/2018)
© Dogan (Caen, 04/01/2019) Covering NORMANDIE refit
May 4th 2019: Covered for the PONT-AVEN sailing the Roscoff – Cork/Cork – Roscoff service.
March 2020: Continued services between Roscoff – Plymouth.
June 1st 2020: Left Roscoff and sailed to Le Havre.
August 31st 2020: Laid up in Le Havre owing to the Coronavirus Pandemic.
November/December 2020: Used as refit cover Caen – Portsmouth
January 2021: Planned lay up until March 2021 however continued (Freight Only) services between Caen – Portsmouth.
January 4th 2021: Sailed from Portsmouth to Cherbourg.
January 5th 2021: Arrived in Le Havre.
February 3rd 2021: Arrived Caen.
February 2021:
Brittany Ferries has announced that it is introducing three new weekly freight only sailings between Ireland and France. The sailings will begin this Thursday (4th February) with a sailing between Rosslare and St Malo.
The first of two new sailings out of Cork to Roscoff will begin this Saturday. These sailings are in addition to the current Brittany Ferries sailings out of Cork and Rosslare to both France and Spain. The new sailings are in response to demands from both Irish and French hauliers seeking a more direct route.
Source: Brittany Ferries
February 4th 2021: Inaugural arrival in Rosslare.
© Brian Boyce (Rosslare, 04/02/2021)
© George Holland (Poole, 15/04/2021)
May 7th 2021: Brittany Ferries confirmed that it would not resume its full sailing schedule on 17th May as it had originally planned. The decision comes following changes to international travel rules, and in particular clarification of the UK government’s traffic light framework.
May 17th 2021 – June 6th 2021: Operated Plymouth – Roscoff/Roscoff – Cork (passenger sailings) plus Roscoff – Cork/Cork – St Malo/Poole – St Malo (freight only)
June 3rd 2021: COTENTIN developed a “technical issue” which led to her sailings Havre – Portsmouth being cancelled. ARMORIQUE diverted from her Poole – Saint Malo sailing to Le Havre and she covered Portsmouth – Le Havre service until COTENTIN was repaired.
June 7th 2021 – July 18th 2021: Portsmouth – St Malo.
July 19th 2021: St Malo to Le Havre.
© Pascal Bredel (Le Havre, 19/07/2021)
July 20th 2021: Le Havre – Portsmouth.
October 2021 – November 2021: Portsmouth – Le Havre service.
November 5th 2021: Single trip to Santander.
November 18th 2021: Sailed to St Malo and hosted a fishing conference/dinner.
November 19th 2021: Resumed St Malo – Portsmouth.
January 10th 2022: Sailed to Santander.
January 11th 2022: Arrived Santander, Almirante Terminal.
January 12th 2022: Moved to Astander No.2 Drydock for refit.
March 28th 2022: Plymouth – Roscoff services
April 2022: Plymouth – Roscoff services plus Roscoff – Cork (midweek overnight).
🆕© Pieter Inpyn (Cork, 25/05/2023)
All information is believed to be correct and no responsibility is accepted for any errors or omissions. All items included in this article are subject to © copyright. We would like to take this opportunity of thanking: Brian Boyce, Pascal Bredel, Paul Cloke, Dogan, Robert Fournier, Jean-Guy Hagelstein, Dan Hall (Flickr), George Holland, Pieter Inpyn, Nicolas Lévy, Aleksi Lindström, Kevin Mitchell (Maritime Images), Göran Olsson, Robert J Smith, Marko Stampehl, Tony Weaver (Brittany Ferries Ships) and Andreas Wörteler for their assistance in producing this feature.