Stena RoRo takes delivery of final battery hybrid E-Flexer for Brittany Ferries fleet

Swedish shipping company Stena RoRo has taken delivery of the twelfth E-Flexer in a series of 15 roll-on/roll-off passenger (RoPax) ferries from the Chinese shipyard CMI Jinling (Weihai).

The 194.7-meter-long newbuild, Guillaume de Normandie, is long-term chartered to the French shipping company Brittany Ferries. This is the fifth of five ordered E-Flexer vessels for the Brittany Ferries fleet.

In April next year, the ship will enter service on the Portsmouth – Caen route, replacing the Normandie, which has sailed the route since 1992.

Just as with four of the five E-Flexer ships that Stena RoRo has delivered to Brittany Ferries, the vessel will be powered by multi-fuel engines as well as the ‘world’s largest’ battery-hybrid package of 12 MWh. With these batteries, the ferry will be able to operate in and out of port solely on battery power and even maneuver when docking and undocking without using the ship’s diesel engines. This is described as a ‘unique’ technical solution that provides significantly lower CO2 emissions for the ship.

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 marine diesel (MGO), liquefied natural gas (LNG), biodiesel or biogas. In addition, the PTI/PTO system with the battery power function can be used for propulsion at sea or maneuvering 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 is certified for 1,300 passengers along with 2,410 lane meters of cargo, whereof 176 lane meters for personal cars. The E-Flexer series is based on a basic concept with vessels larger than most existing RoPax ferries and features a highly flexible design.

“It is with great satisfaction and pride that we have now taken delivery of the twelfth E-Flexer vessel in the series,” Per Westling, Stena RoRo AB Managing Director, commented.

“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.”

The Guillaume de Normandie is chartered to Brittany Ferries for 10 years. The total of five E-Flexer ships ordered by Brittany Ferries are renewing and modernizing the company’s current fleet of cargo and passenger ships.

The first ferry, the Galicia, was delivered in the autumn of 2020, the second, the Salamanca, in November 2021, and the third, the Santona, in December 2022.

The Saint-Malo, the fourth vessel from the batch was handed over to the company in October 2024.

Stena RoRo currently has 15 confirmed orders at CMI Jinling, Weihai shipyard for E-Flexer vessels, as well as two orders for New Max RoRo vessels. Twelve vessels have now been delivered.