MV Barfleur

The M/V "Barfleur" is a ferry operated by Brittany Ferries. It was built at Masa Yards in Finland for Brittany Ferries subsidiary Truckline and entered service in 1992. In 1999 she was repainted in Brittany Ferries standard livery. She sails under the French flag and is registered in Cherbourg. As of April 2008, "Barfleur" is the only ship to retain the 1983-2002 version of the Brittany Ferries logo and livery.

Regular Routes

*Poole-Cherbourg 1992 - "present":Due to a massive increase in passenger numbers on the Poole-Cherbourg route in 1991 "Barfleur" was lengthened by 19 metres shortly after she was launched. This increased passenger and freight capacity as well as adding a number of additional cabins.

:Until 27 February 2007 "Barfleur" was the largest ship ever to use Poole Harbour. MV|Bretagne held this title until the arrival of the "Cotentin" after covering for "Barfleur"'s unscheduled 2007 refit.

*"Portsmouth-Cherbourg" March - November 2005:"Barfleur" operated one round trip Tuesday to Sunday in 2005 in place a Poole round trip. This regular Portsmouth conventional service was unsuccessful and has not been repeated.

Other Routes Served

"Barfleur" has also served on Portsmouth-Caen (Ouistreham) where she acted as refit cover for MV|Normandie and MV|Val de Loire. During the winter seasons of 1997 and 1998 "Barfleur" operated between Poole and Santander at weekends and made the crossing in 28 hours.

As a result of major engine problems with the "Val de Loire" in September 2000 "Barfleur" operated between Plymouth and Roscoff for two round trips before moving to Portsmouth-Caen (Ouistreham) in place of the "Duc de Normandie". Barfleur's place at Poole was taken by the "Purbeck".

On rare occasions "Barfleur" has also operated routes not usually undertaken by Brittany Ferries. :-

*Poole-Caen"Barfleur" has sailed on this route as a positioning move to provide refit cover but also as a result of strike action by French dockworkers in October 2002.

*Poole-RoscoffAs a result of the previously mentioned strike a round trip to Roscoff was undertaken in October 2002 to facilitate a crew change. This route was repeated between 23 and 26 May 2008 due to a blockade of Cherbourg by French fishermen.

*Cherbourg-CorkIn December 2005 "Barfleur" was chartered by Victor Treacy International for a one off freight-only crossing to help clear a build up of freight caused by a strike at Irish Ferries.

tatistics

*Gross Tonnage: 20,133
*Length: 158.7m
*Beam: 23.3m

*Crew: up to 104
*Vehicle Capacity: 590 cars or 304 cars and 66 freight vehicles.
*Passengers: 1,200
*Service Speed: 19.5 knots
*Engines: 4x Wärtsilä-Vasa Type 8R32 medium speed four stroke diesel engines

Onboard facilities

Bars and Restaurants

*Les Dunes A la Carte Restaurant - Deck 7.
*Turquoise Self Service Restaurant - Deck 7.
*Arc en ciel Salon de Thé - Deck 7.
*Le Alizés Bar - Deck 7.

Shops

*La Boutique - Deck 7.
*Le Kiosque - Deck 7.

Other Facilities

*Children's Playroom - Deck 7.
*72 Four Berth Cabins - Decks 5, 6 and 8.
*295 Reclining Seats - Decks 5 and 6.

External links

* [http://www.brittanyferries.com Brittany Ferries official site]
* [http://www.brittanyferries.co.uk/media/pdf/j/9/Barfleur.pdf Official Onboard Guide PDF]
* [http://www.bfenthusiasts.com Brittany Ferries Enthusiasts - Unofficial Guide to the Western Channel ferry company.]