Brittany Ferries (BAI)FerriesPast and PresentStena E-FlexerStena RoRo

MV Galicia – Past and Present

IMO Number: 9856189

MV Galicia

© Brittany Ferries

© Brittany Ferries (On her delivery voyage from China)

Steel twin screw “Stena E-Flexer” class motor vessel built in 2021 by China Merchants Jinling Ltd (CMJL) (ex Avic Shipyard), Weihai, China (Yard No W0267) as a Passenger/Car Ferry for Stena RoRo AB, Gothenburg

Technical Data


Current AIS Location


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History

The 4th addition to Stena’s E-FLEXER class cruise ferries/RoPax vessels being constructed by China Merchants Jinling Shipyard in Weihai for Stena RoRo.

January 16th 2019: Keel Struck

September 11th 2019: Launched

© Brittany Ferries

© Brittany Ferries

© China Merchants Jinling Shipyard (Weihai) Co. ,Ltd  © China Merchants Jinling Shipyard (Weihai) Co. ,Ltd

© China Merchants Jinling Shipyard (Weihai) Co. ,Ltd

© Brittany Ferries  © Brittany Ferries

© Brittany Ferries (Undergoing sea trials)

September 3rd 2020: Delivered to Stena RoRo, Gothenburg and immediately chartered to Brittany Ferries, France.

Stena RoRo’s E-Flexer Galicia delivered to Brittany Ferries – with higher passenger capacity thanks to flexible construction

The Galicia, the first of three ships in the E-Flexer class ordered by Brittany Ferries was delivered on September 3. The vessel is the third E-Flexer of nine ordered by Stena RoRo from the Chinese shipyard CMI Jinling (Weihai). The Galicia will be chartered by Brittany Ferries on a long-term basis and has been especially adapted to the wishes of the French ferry company. 

Construction of the E-Flexers is based on a standard developed for flexibility, and each vessel is tailored to customer needs. An example of an adaptation made in accordance with the wishes of Brittany Ferries is that the basic model car deck on deck 7 has been converted to cabins. This, in combination with the deckhouse having been extended on both decks 7 and 8, has enabled the number of cabins to be increased from 175 to 343. In addition, the Galicia has two scrubbers, one for each main engine, and two extra lifeboats added due to the ferry’s increased passenger capacity. The interior has been designed by Richard Nilsson at Figura Architects, with whom Stena RoRo has been collaborating for quite some time. The public spaces on decks 7 and 8 have been partially given over to other functions compared to the basic model, but largely follow the E-Flexer standard. The design of the public spaces and the color scheme, however, are entirely unique and draw inspiration from Spain and the region after which the ship is named.

“The Galicia is special because she is the first in the E-Flexer series to be delivered to an external customer,” says Per Westling, CEO for Stena RoRo. “The design has been adapted to Brittany Ferries’ special requirements and the yard has been able to deliver according to schedule despite the ongoing pandemic, which we are very happy about.”

“This is a significant milestone in our fleet renewal planning and we are delighted that we will shortly be welcoming Galicia to the Brittany Ferries family. The E-flexer class of ships are well suited to our long-haul routes. I am convinced that passengers will be as thrilled to travel on them as we are to take delivery of Galicia today”, says Christophe Mathieu CEO Brittany Ferries. 

Stena RoRo has an agreement with Brittany Ferries for long-term charters of two more vessels in the Stena E-Flexer series. Both will be powered by LNG, are under construction and will be delivered in 2022 and 2023, respectively. 

Donation
Brittany Ferries and Stena RoRo are also taking the opportunity to jointly make a donation to The Mission to Seafarers´ Flying Angel Campaign supporting seafarers needs as a result of Covid-19.

About Stena E-Flexer
The Stena E-Flexer vessels combine cargo and passenger capabilities, and are substantially larger than today’s standard ferries. The Stena E-Flexer class is at the forefront in terms of sustainability and sets a new standard in terms of emissions, cost and energy efficiency, as well as performance.

Source: Stena RoRo

September 11th 2020: Left Weihai for Europe.

September 23rd 2020: Left Singapore ahead of her transit across the Arabian Sea (eta at the Suez Canal will be around October 3rd.).

October 12th 2020: Arrived at Cherbourg.

October 12th 2020: Left Cherbourg.

October 13th 2020: Maiden arrival at Portsmouth.

© Andrew Cooke  © Andrew Cooke

© Andrew Cooke

© Andrew Cooke (Arriving in Portsmouth to undergo berthing trials, 13/10/2020) 

© Emilie Fouquet, courtesy of Brittany Ferries

© Emilie Fouquet, courtesy of Brittany Ferries (Undertaking berthing trials at Portsmouth International)

” PORTSMOUTH WELCOMES GALICIA FOR THE FIRST TIME

Portsmouth today welcomes Galicia, Brittany Ferries’ brand-new ship serving routes to Spain and France.  She will undertake berthing trials in port today (13 October 2020) before her entry into service for passengers in December 2020.

Galicia is the longest ship ever to have graced the Brittany Ferries fleet at 215m, hosting 3km of “lane metres” for freight and passenger traffic. She is the first new ship to join the fleet since 2009 and is the first since the company announced a multi-million euro investment in fleet renewal back in 2017.

The investment was, of course, made several years ago. But the company says it hopes the new ship will reassure customers of Brittany Ferries’ commitment to a brighter future. Galicia will serve the Portsmouth to Santander route, with two weekly rotations, along with one weekly there-and-back from Portsmouth to Cherbourg in Normandy.

When the current storms have passed, Brittany Ferries will have three new ships in its fleet. Two ships will have joined Galicia by 2023, called Salamanca and Santoña, both powered by cleaner liquefied natural gas (LNG).

“Fleet renewal is an integral part of our five-year recovery plan and Galicia’s arrival is the result of a commission made in happier times,” said Christophe Mathieu Brittany Ferries CEO. “That is why I am delighted to bring this good news story to our staff, freight drivers and passengers today. Our message is clear: we have invested in beautiful new ships. Given the right support to get through this terrible crisis Brittany Ferries can have a bright future, as well as a proud past.”

Mike Sellers, director at Portsmouth International Port said: “I’m delighted to welcome Galicia to the city on behalf of the people of Portsmouth. 2020 has been a challenging year for us all, so it’s great to be able to look to the future positively with the arrival of this fantastic addition to the Brittany Ferries fleet. “The additional freight capacity on the ship means more opportunities for trade to flow direct from the UK to Spain, and passengers will also be able to travel in style with some of the finest facilities in ferry travel available on-board”.

Source: Portsmouth International Port

October 13th 2020 (evening): Departed Portsmouth bound for Plymouth.

October 14th 2020: Arrived in Plymouth and conducted berthing trials before departing for Bilbao and then Santander.

© Brittany Ferries

© Brittany Ferries (Plymouth)

October 15th 2020: Arrived in Bilbao for berthing trials before departing for Santander. She is expected to enter dry dock at the Astander Shipyard in Santander for guarantee work and final fit out before entering commercial service.

October 15th 2020: Arrived at Santander.

October 19th 2020: Left Santander, allowing PONT-AVEN to use the berth.

October 19th 2020: Returned to Santander.

© Prieto  © Prieto

© Prieto (Leaving Santander, 22/10/2020)

October 27th 2020: Moved to the Astander Shipyard Dry Dock No.2 for completion of “fitting out”.

October 30th 2020: Port of registry and flag change from Portsmouth/United Kingdom to Morlaix/France.

November 13th 2020: Left Dry Dock.

November 13th 2020: Conducted sea trials.

November 13th 2020: Arrived in Santander.

November 14th 2020: Left Santander for Cherbourg.

November 16th 2020: Arrived Cherbourg.

November 27th 2020: Owing to the Coronavirus Pandemic her inauguration ceremony took place virtually, in an online ceremony.

Hola Galicia © Brittany Ferries

November 27th 2020: Left Cherbourg for Roscoff.

November 28th 2020: Arrived Roscoff.

November 29th 2020: Sailed from Roscoff to Santander.

© Prieto

© Prieto (Santander, 01/12/2020) 

December 2nd 2020: Left Santander on her first commercial sailing to Portsmouth.

December 3rd 2020: Arrived at Portsmouth and then continued service Portsmouth – Santander.  In addition, the vessel makes a weekly Portsmouth – Cherbourg roundtrip. 

March 2023: During refit had funnel stove pipes extended plus modifications to her stern ramps.

© Astilleros de Santander S.A.U. © Astilleros de Santander S.A.U.

© Astilleros de Santander S.A.U.

© George Holland © George Holland

© George Holland (Cherbourg, 15/06/2023)

November 12th 2023: Came off service at Cherbourg and sailed to Le Havre.

November 14th 2023 – March 13th 2024: Arrived Le Havre for winter lay up.

© Philippe Brébant

© Philippe Brébant (Le Havre, 18/12/2023)

March 14th 2024: Left Le Havre for trials.

March 19th 2024: Arrived Cherbourg an took up services Bilboa – Rosslare plus weekly Portsmouth – Cherbourg roundtrip. 


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: Philippe Brébant, Brittany Ferries, Andrew Cooke, Emilie Fouquet, George Holland, Prieto, Stena RoRo and China Merchants Jinling Shipyard (Weihai) Co. ,Ltd for their assistance in producing this feature.

Article © Nigel Thornton and Ray Goodfellow (Dover Ferry Photos Group)

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