New Brittany Ferries vessel to take Portsmouth holidaymakers to Spain arrives at city's port for first time
A NEW ferry that will take people from Portsmouth to sunny Spain has arrived in the city for the very first time.
Brittany Ferries' new vessel Galicia, which will connect the city to Santander, arrived at Portsmouth International Port this morning for berthing trials, before she comes into active service in December.
She will do two round trips to and from the Cantabrian coastline each week, and is the first new vessel for Brittany Ferries since 2009.
The video above, taken by @PortsmouthProud and posted on Twitter this morning, shows the ferry coming past the Round Tower in Old Portsmouth on her way to the port.
The longest ship in the company’s fleet at 215m, initial see trials have already taken place in Weihai, China.
Brittany Ferries CEO Christophe Mathieu said: ‘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.
‘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.’
Galicia is part of a multi-million euro investment by the company, with plans for two further ferries also in the works.
The berthing port trials will ensure that the ferry is ready to take on passengers from Portsmouth, with 3km of lane metres on board for freight and passenger traffic.
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.’
Two ships will have joined Galicia at Brittany Ferries by 2023, called Salamanca and Santoña, both powered by cleaner liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Video credit: @PortsmouthProud on Twitter