Armorique is the newest vessel in the Brittany Ferries fleet. In August 2005 Brittany Ferries placed an order with Aker Finnyards (now STX Europe) for an €80 million freight vessel. This vessel was named Cotentin. The order included provisional plans for another vessel, which was commissioned in January 2006. This vessel was to be a 1500 passenger state-of-the-art cruise ferry which would be identical to Cotentin up to deck 5, but with an extra accommodation block being added above and to the stern to include public and accommodation spaces for passengers.
This vessel was to be named Armorique. "Armorique" being the ancient name for the coastal north-western region of France meaning "the country which faces the sea." It is also the name of an outstanding national park in Brittany. Armorique is the second Brittany Ferries vessel to bear this name; the first being roughly a quarter the size of the current Armorique, and operating between 1976 and 1994.
The first sheet of steel was cut on the 30th July 2007 at the STX yards in Helsinki, Finland. The vessel was floated out on the 13th September 2007, before final delivery of the completed €120 million vessel to Brittany Ferries in January 2009. She first arrived in Plymouth for berthing trials on the 26th January 2009; making her maiden voyage outbound to Roscoff from Plymouth on the 10th February 2009.
Technical Specification for Armorique
Launched 10th February 2009
Gross Tonnage 29,500
Length 168.3 metres
Beam 26.8 metres
Service Speed 25 knots
Passenger Capacity 1,500
Car Capacity 470
Freight Capacity 65 Lorries
Cabins 248
Shipyard Aker, Helsinki, Finland