"Revolutionary" Brittany Ferries ship MV Normandie to sail into Portsmouth for last time after 33 years

MV Normandie, operated by Brittany Ferries, has been taking passengers from the city to France since the 1990s. According to the King’s Harbour Master shipping movements, she will enter Portsmouth International Port at 9pm, before leaving at 11pm.

Ben McInnes, the port’s harbour master, said it’s happy and sad to see her end her career. He said: “Normandie is coming in for her final arrival and departure today. She’s been here a long time, since 1992. She was one of the first luxury ferries to come into Portsmouth.

“At the time when she came in, she was so big we had to close the harbour for other vessels to come in and out, which shows how far the harbour has come in that time. We only close the harbour now for the large aircraft carriers. Even for the large cruise ships, we often don’t need to shut the harbour. It just shows how revolutionary she was at the time.”

MV Normandie has been largely operating the Portsmouth to Caen since her maiden voyage on May 18, 1992. On occasion, she completed sailings between the city and Cherbourg mostly for Christmas and New Year layovers.

The ferry can carry up to 2,123 cars and 575 vehicles, manned by a crew of 137. She weighs 27,542 tonnes and is 161m long. Brittany Ferries is modernising its fleet and the new LNG-powered ship MV Guillaume de Normandie is due to replace her. She completed trials in Portsmouth on April 1, with her first commercial sailing taking place tomorrow.

Her sister ship, MV Saint Malo, is already making journeys to France. Speaking about the newest Brittany Ferries ship, Mr McInnes added: “She is a very clean and energy efficient ship. She’ll be running in and out of Portsmouth emission free, and switching to gas power when she gets out of the harbour.

“In terms of luxury and comfort for the passengers, it’s going to be an amazing upgrade. We’re going to see a reduction in local air pollution and emissions, and an improvement in air quality.”