MV Armorique
Encyclopedia
The MV Armorique is a passenger and freight ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
built for Brittany Ferries
Brittany Ferries
Brittany Ferries is a French ferry company that runs ships between France, the UK, Ireland and Spain.-1970s and 1980s:Following the provision of the deep-water port at Roscoff, the company commenced in January 1973 at the instigation of Alexis Gourvennec, when existing ferry companies showed...
by STX Europe in Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
at a cost of £81 million (€110 million). The vessel was delivered to Brittany Ferries on 26 January 2009, it was originally planned for her to be delivered in September 2008. Armorique is named after a national park of outstanding beauty in western Brittany. Armorique was also the name of a previous Brittany Ferries vessel purchased for service between Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
and St Malo in 1975 and sold in 1993.
The vessel was designed and built specifically for the Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
-Roscoff
Roscoff
Roscoff is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France.The nearby Île de Batz, called Enez Vaz in Breton, is a small island that can be reached by launch from the harbour....
route, as a replacement for the MV Pont L'Abbe
MV Pont L'Abbé
The MV Pont L'Abbé was a ferry owned and operated by Brittany Ferries between 2006 and 2009. She was built at Aalborg Værft A/S in Denmark for DFDS Seaways as MV Dana Anglia and entered service with them in 1978...
Her maiden voyage was due to be on 10 February 2009 at 15.00hrs, sailing from Roscoff to Plymouth. However, due to severe weather conditions, this crossing was cancelled, and she sailed to Plymouth without passengers. The overnight crossing from Plymouth on 10 February went ahead, making this her maiden voyage.
Armorique sails under the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
flag and is registered in Morlaix
Morlaix
Morlaix is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.-Leisure and tourism:...
.
Other routes
- PoolePoolePoole is a large coastal town and seaport in the county of Dorset, on the south coast of England. The town is east of Dorchester, and Bournemouth adjoins Poole to the east. The Borough of Poole was made a unitary authority in 1997, gaining administrative independence from Dorset County Council...
-Cherbourg February/March 2010 - PortsmouthPortsmouthPortsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
-CaenCaenCaen is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the Calvados department and the capital of the Basse-Normandie region. It is located inland from the English Channel....
(OuistrehamOuistrehamOuistreham is a commune in the Calvados department' in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.Ouistreham is a small port with fishing boats, leisure craft and a ferry-harbour. It serves as the port of the city of Caen. The town is about the mouth of the Canal de Caen à la...
) March 2010 - Portsmouth-St Malo November 2010/Winter 2011
- Plymouth-St Malo Winter 2011
Design
Armorique is identical to the CotentinMV Cotentin
M/V Cotentin is a freight ferry operated by Brittany Ferries and built by Aker Finnyards in Finland. Cotentin is named after the Cotentin Peninsula of France of which Cherbourg is its largest town. Cotentin was also the name of one of the original Truckline vessels to sail between Poole and...
from keel to deck five. The first deck of passenger space is on deck six rather than deck 7 as on the Cotentin.
Initial artist impressions from Aker Yards showed a vessel that shared a number of similarities to the Cotentin however in December Brittany Ferries released an altered artist's impression of the Armorique. Revisions include a design change to the funnel and upper cabin deck along with alterations to the proposed livery.
Pictures released by Brittany Ferries show the ship will have double deck vehicle access at the bow and stern to decks 3 and 5 though while on her usual route loading of deck 5 will be via an internal ramp due to lack of double deck facilities at Plymouth or Roscoff. The stern door will be narrower than the one fitted to the Cotentin.
Onboard facilities
- Self-service Restaurant: "Le Restaurant"
- Bar: "Le Bar"
- Cafe: "Lounge Cafe"
- Large shopping area: "Les Boutiques"
- Cinemas
- Games Planet (games)
- Chance Planet (slot machines)
- Cash machine
- Play areas
- WiFi
- 250 Cabins including Club4 and Club 4 Plus Cabins
- Reclining seat lounges
- Reading lounge