New ferries set to travel from Portsmouth to Spain are named

THE names two new passenger ferries, that will one day offer trips from Portsmouth to Spain, have been revealed.
An artist impression of what Brittany Ferries new ships, set to travel from Portsmouth to Spain, will look like. PHOTO: Britanny FerriesAn artist impression of what Brittany Ferries new ships, set to travel from Portsmouth to Spain, will look like. PHOTO: Britanny Ferries
An artist impression of what Brittany Ferries new ships, set to travel from Portsmouth to Spain, will look like. PHOTO: Britanny Ferries

Galicia and Salamanca will be the names of Brittany Ferries new ships arriving in 2021 and 2022 respectively.

The names were chosen after a competition among Brittany Ferries’ staff and follow confirmation of the ships’ charter last month.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

To be based in Portsmouth, both ships will serve long-haul routes to Spain where passenger traffic has grown by 80 per cent in the last decade.

An artist impression of what Brittany Ferries new ships, set to travel from Portsmouth to Spain, will look like. PHOTO: Britanny FerriesAn artist impression of what Brittany Ferries new ships, set to travel from Portsmouth to Spain, will look like. PHOTO: Britanny Ferries
An artist impression of what Brittany Ferries new ships, set to travel from Portsmouth to Spain, will look like. PHOTO: Britanny Ferries

They represent the second and third new vessels to be delivered post-Brexit, after the arrival of Honfleur which is scheduled for 2019 and will serve Portsmouth-Caen.

‘I’m delighted that we have chosen these beautiful names, which celebrate two fabulous destinations in Spain served by Brittany Ferries,’ said Christophe Mathieu Brittany Ferries chief executive. ‘The winners can be proud to have suggested names that will become part of the company’s history and we look forward to welcoming Galicia and Salamanca to the fleet.’

About 300 members of staff took part in the competition in May.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Suggestions were made by those working on board and on shore, as well as in the four geographical locations served by the company: France, UK, Spain and Ireland.

An artist impression of what Brittany Ferries new ships, set to travel from Portsmouth to Spain, will look like. PHOTO: Britanny FerriesAn artist impression of what Brittany Ferries new ships, set to travel from Portsmouth to Spain, will look like. PHOTO: Britanny Ferries
An artist impression of what Brittany Ferries new ships, set to travel from Portsmouth to Spain, will look like. PHOTO: Britanny Ferries

The winners are Christophe Scherr a barman aboard Brittany Ferries Normandie and Pierre-Yves Prigent, from the IT team in Roscoff, France.

Each wins a return sailing on the first commercial crossing for the ship they named.

Galicia and Salamanca represent the next step in a fleet renewal and an investment programme worth around €450m (£396m) for Brittany Ferries.

Like Honfleur, both ships will be French flagged and will be crewed by French seafarers upon arrival in 2021 and 2022.