Maritime transportation company Brittany Ferries, in collaboration with marine fuels supplier Titan, has marked the first delivery of liquefied biomethane (LBM/bioLNG) to its electric-hybrid ship, Saint-Malo.
The milestone operation took place during the ferry’s regular bunker call at Portsmouth International Port with Titan-operated bunkering barge Optimus.
According to Brittany Ferries, this transaction marks “a concrete step forward in the company’s transition to cleaner maritime propulsion, combining LNG, electricity, and now bioLNG”.
“This hybrid ferry operates on LNG, battery power or a combination to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. With this LBM delivery, Titan is proud to support the sustainability goals of yet another customer who chooses to lead rather than wait,” Titan said in a social media update.
Liquefied biomethane, or bioLNG, is used to deliver overcompliance with the FuelEU Maritime regulation, presenting benefits via pooling, banking, and borrowing.
It can also be ‘dropped into’ all established LNG bunkering infrastructure, including LNG-fueled ships, and blended with LNG or e-methane at any ratio, without requiring modification of the vessel.
Portsmouth Port introduced LNG bunkering at the beginning of the year, following the inaugural operation in which Saint-Malo received LNG fuel.
Chartered by Brittany Ferries for ten years, Saint-Malo is known as a hybrid ferry with the ‘world’s largest battery’ fitted to a ship.
The vessel was delivered by Chinese shipyard CMI Jinling (Weihai) in October 2024, and it serves the Portsmouth – Saint-Malo route.