Brittany Ferries cancels newbuilding contract

Brittany Ferries and French company Somanor have confirmed the termination of the contract for the construction of the LNG-powered Ro-Pax vessel Honfleur.

The vessel has been under construction in Flensburg, Germany, since 2017 and was originally scheduled to enter service in June 2019.

Brittany Ferries said in a recent statement that delivery of the vessel has been postponed several times due to persistent financial problems encountered by the management of shipbuilder Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft (FSG).

With the surprise announcement that the yard was placed under the protection of the German Commercial Court in May 2020, and unsuccessful discussions with the current management of FSG and its main creditors, Somanor and Brittany Ferries, the backers of Honfleur, acknowledged that they had lost confidence in the yard’s ability to complete the vessel within a reasonable period of time.