Brittany Ferries has confirmed the extension of its charter of MN Pelican (1999/12,076gt) from French shipowner Maritime Nantaise until 2019.
This 155m con-ro vessel entered service between Poole and Bilbao during February 2016, initially on a one year charter.
Announcing the news, Brittany Ferries freight director Simon Wagstaff commented “We’re delighted to confirm the extension of Pelican’s charter for two more years. Since her introduction, we’ve established strong demand for a route which connects northern Spain with Poole. Extending her charter will bring confidence to our freight partners and I hope may encourage more operators to consider the many benefits of transporting goods directly via sea to Spain and Portugal, rather than via road through France.”
MN Pelican makes two round trips a week with capacity for around 100 x 16.5m trailers although berths are also available for eight drivers.
In separate news, at the end of June Maritime Nantaise was acquired by the family owned Le Havre based shipping group Sogestran. Despite the change in ownership the name, its Nantes headquarters and ship facility in Brest are all expected to be retained. Kevin Mitchell
