VESSEL REVIEW | Kephrenn – Inter-island shuttle boats for French tour company

Brittany, France-based tour operator Vedettes de Brehat has taken delivery of two new vessels ordered from compatriot shipyard Piriou.

Designed by naval architecture firm Mer et Design, Kephrenn and Eneziz each have all-aluminium construction, a length of 25.72 metres, a beam of 7.3 metres, a draught of 1.7 metres, a gross tonnage of 190, a deadweight of 30, and capacity for 255 passengers on two decks in addition to a crew of five. The vessels will also provide commuter services between Northwestern Brittany and nearby Brehat Island.

The owner said the vessels are equipped with systems for reducing greenhouse gases by as much as 30 per cent.

The onboard facilities include toilets for use by passengers with reduced mobility. The passenger cabin interiors also have TV screens.

Power for each vessel is provided by two MAN IMO Tier III-compliant main engines fitted with selective catalytic reduction and urea injection systems for exhaust gas aftertreatment. The propulsion delivers a top speed of 20.8 knots and a cruising speed of just over nine knots. A specially designed hard-chine hull was also incorporated on each vessel to improve performance in choppy seas, thereby reducing fuel consumption.

The electronics suite on each vessel includes a Furuno radar. Solar panels are also fitted on the vessels' roofs to supply some of the electrical power requirements of the onboard systems, thus further reducing emissions.

Construction of Kephrenn and Eneziz was done in compliance to Bureau Veritas class rules. The newbuilds are the fourth and fifth vessels to join the current active fleet of Vedettes de Brehat.

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