New hybrid ferry to run on Normandy-Portsmouth route next month
New ship will reduce CO² emissions by around 15% per journey
The new ship is set to launch on April 18
Brittany Ferries
A new hybrid ferry will begin sailing the popular Portsmouth-Normandy route next month, replacing the current ship after more than 30 years of service.
The Guillaume de Normandie is set to launch on April 18, 2025, between Portsmouth and Ouisterham (Caen).
Named after Normandy’s most famous son, the ship is coming into service three years before the 1,000 year-celebrations of the king (said to have been born in 1028).
It is a hybrid electric/natural gas powered ferry – the second such ship in the Brittany Ferries fleet after the Saint-Malo, which connects Portsmouth and the eponymous town in Brittany.
These ships use electric motors when moored in a port and during boarding/disembarkment, reducing pollution levels by up to 15%. They also require up to 10% less energy, leading to long-term savings in fuel and energy costs.
Guillaume de Normandie will replace the Normandie ferry, which runs one return trip per-day between the two ports.
The new ship will be able to hold 1,310 passengers and 470 vehicles – less than the ship it is replacing – with several restaurants and entertainment facilities on board.
This includes a video games room (with classic arcade games), an exhibition gallery, entertainment centre for young children, and duty-free shopping.
Travellers can also access a catalogue of free videos and TV shows to watch once connected to the ship's WiFi using its video on demand (VOD) service.
The Portsmouth-Ouisterham route is one of the most popular crossings over the English Channel, carrying over 800,000 passengers in 2024.
The Normandie is set to be transferred to the south of France, to run a service between Marseille and Tangier (Morocco) under the new name ‘Massalia' (the name for the city of Marseille when it was a Greek colony).
Read more: Dozens of new flight and ferry routes for France in 2025
Over €5 million invested into port
To welcome the new ship, Ouisterham port is investing around €5.7 million into modernisations.
This includes a revamped berthing spot for the ship, which will allow the on-board batteries to be charged and the ship to turn off its gas engines when in port.
This will see the installation of a “150 m2 energy building on the ground floor of the ferry terminal… to optimize energy consumption when the ferry departs,” the Ports de Normandie – which manages the docks at Ouisterham – said.
In addition, improvements to the docking centre will hook the area up to the mains energy supply, allowing the ship to be recharged when in port.
Further work to modernise the port’s largest lock, at a cost of around €11 million, is also set to be finished in July 2025.
Ouisterham is one of the ports likely to be affected by strikes throughout March – and potentially further into the year – as major unions back dockers walkouts.
Read more: Strikes at French ports to continue during March: List of dates
