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Total's recently rebranded bunker fuel business, Total Marine Fuels Global Solutions (TMFGS), has announced that it is joining forces with Dunkerque LNG and Groupe Charles Andre for the previously announced supply of LNG bunkers to the Brittany Ferries vessel Honfleur at the port of Ouistreham. A multi-year agreement was signed on July 10.

Due to the lack of LNG supply infrastructure at Ouistreham, TMFGS is teaming up with Dunkerque LNG and Groupe Charles Andre to develop an innovative supply method that will enable LNG to be supplied via 40-foot (ISO standard) LNG tank containers - mobile storage tanks with a metal frame that are designed for the transport of bulk liquid products.

The agreement signed with Dunkerque LNG covers the construction of an automated truck loading bay at its terminal in Dunkirk for the supply of LNG via tank containers, whilst the deal with Groupe Charles Andre concerns the transportation of the LNG tanks equipped with geolocation beacons and pressure sensors.

For the supply of LNG to the Honfleur, a truck will, first of all, load a tank container from the LNG terminal in Dunkirk and then transport it to the port of Ouistreham, where it will be placed on board the vessel - utilizing cranes specially installed for this purpose - and then used to supply a fixed LNG storage tank located at the rear of the ship. Once empty, the containers will be removed the next time the Honfleur calls at Ouistreham and replaced with full containers.

Olivier Jouny, general manager of TMFGS, remarked: "The agreement with Brittany Ferries is historic because it is our first contract to supply LNG as a marine fuel. Moreover, the work carried out with Dunkerque LNG and the Charles Andre Group made this supply of LNG possible by proposing an original and safe logistics solution thanks, in particular, to the digitilization of the tracking of containers. We are proud of the signing of these agreements as they mark an important step in the development of the LNG sector in France."

Frederic Pouget, Group Maritime Director at Brittany Ferries, said: "Access to LNG for maritime operators is a necessity, and this partnership shows that it is possible to develop original and local solutions for the LNG supply of ships."

Pouget also confirmed Brittany Ferries' commitment to having LNG as the company's "preferred fuel for the construction of its future new ships".

Beatrice Prud'homme, president of Dunkerque LNG, noted: "This tank truck loading bay expands our offering, thus enhancing our facilities. This is a first step towards other developments in favour of LNG fuel."

As Bunker Index previously reported, the Honfleur is due to operate on the company's busiest route from Portsmouth to Caen in 2019. It is set to be the first LNG-powered ship to regularly operate on the Channel.

The Honfleur will also be the first passenger ship in the world to be equipped with onboard cranes to lift and place LNG containers into a fixed position.

Power delivery will also be very different to other ferries in Brittany Ferries' fleet. Powered by LNG using diesel-electric-propulsion, Honfleur's four main engines will feed electric generators and two electric shaft propulsion motors with two fixed-pitch, efficient propellers. This is designed to optimize fuel consumption at reduced speeds.