February Launch For Poole-Bilbao Freight Service

Brittany Ferries has chartered a vessel to carry freight between Poole, Dorset (UK) and Bilbao, in northern Spain. A pure RoRo craft, Pelican has the capacity for around 100 unaccompanied trailers and 12 drivers and will begin service with the company in early February.

She comes from shipping company Maritime Nantaise and will operate two round-trips per week. The charter, which includes crew, is for 12 months, but with the option of extension.

“Freight activity to and from the United Kingdom is undergoing a period of strong growth, particularly the unaccompanied market,” commented Simon Wagstaff, Brittany Ferries’ freight director.

“We see this on a daily basis in the garages of our vessels, especially on those operating to and from Spain. Our charter of Pelican will help us meet growing demand from freight customers and free up more garage space on other ships.”

Last year Brittany Ferries reported a 20 per cent increase in freight traffic across all routes. 2016 has also started strongly and the company hopes that greater capacity will drive even more business through Poole.


“There is a very limited charter market for this type of vessel and we were delighted to find a cost-effective vessel on the French International Register,” added Simon Wagstaff. “This will allow us to operate effectively, but also to balance the books in this important area of our activity.”

Pelican specifications:

• Vessel type : RoRo 
• Constructed: 1999 in Norway. 
• Length: 155.5 m 
• Power: 1 WARTSILA engine, delivering 15 600 kW at 500 rpm 
• Speed: 14 to 20 knots.