FERRY

ALL FSG ORDERS CANCELLED

ICG/BRITTANY FERRIES

The Irish Continental Group has cancelled their order with Germany’s Flensburger Schiffbau (FSG) for a 67,300gt ferry, which was originally due to enter service for Irish Ferries between Dublin and Holyhead this year. To have cost €165.2 million, the 1,800-passenger vessel would have been the biggest built for Irish Sea service, with 5,616 lane metres of car and lorry space and a speed of 22.8 knots from four Wärtsilä diesel engines. ICG have recovered their 20 per cent €33 million deposit on the project and now look set to extend the charter of the Visentini-built Epsilon (2011/26,375gt), which was due to end in November after the 500-passenger/2,860-lanemetres vessel completed a charter from November 2013.

FSG, struggling financially as well as from effects of the pandemic, also had an order cancelled for two 50,600gt vessels from TT-Line Tasmania before the final straw on 19 July, when Brittany Ferries annulled their deal for the partially built Honfleur, an