HSC Condor Voyager
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| History | |
|---|---|
| Name |
|
| Owner | Brittany Ferries |
| Operator | 2005-present: Brittany Ferries |
| Port of registry | 2006-present: Caen,  France |
| Route | |
| Builder | Incat, Tasmania, Australia |
| Yard number | 057 |
| Completed | 2000 |
| Identification | IMO number: 9221358 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | 6,581 tonnes |
| Length | 97.22 m (319.0 ft)* |
| Beam | 26.6 m (87.3 ft)* |
| Installed power | Paxman |
| Speed | 42 knots (service), 46.5 knots (maximum) |
| Capacity |
|
The HSC Normandie Express is a fast catamaran ferry owned and operated by Brittany Ferries. Since being built in 2000, the vessel has borne the names Incat Tasmania and The Lynx. Designed to travel at speeds of up to 42 knots, the journey time between Britain and France is just 3 hours per crossing.
History
Brittany Ferries purchased the Normandie Express from Incat in 2007 for £30m ($38.9m) having been on charter from them since 2005. She was built as Incat Tasmania at the Incat yards in Tasmania, Australia. Her first use was on charter to the Australian Trade Commission as a floating conference centre during the 2000 Olympic games in Sydney. Later that year she was chartered to Tranz Rail for their Interisland Line service between Picton and Wellington, New Zealand. She was renamed The Lynx for this service and remained on the route until 2003 when she was returned to Incat.
Europe
In September 2004 P&O Ferries announced they were to withdraw their services from Portsmouth to France, Brittany Ferries later announced they would run a fastcraft service between Portsmouth and Cherbourg/Caen (Ouistreham) as a replacement and The Lynx was chartered. In January 2005 she was renamed Normandie Express and sailed for France, stopping off in Indonesia to drop off supplies and equipment for the tsunami relief effort.
Also on board for the trip to Europe was the French yacht Sill et Veolia which was being returned to France after being damaged whilst on the Vendée Globe round-the-world yacht race. After calling in at Roscoff to drop off the yacht and being shown off to Brittany Ferries management, she undertook berthing trials in Portsmouth, Cherbourg and Ouistreham before starting service in March 2005.
For her first year in service with Brittany Ferries the Normandie Express had a bridge and engine room crew supplied by Northern Marine and was registered in Nassau but protests from French unions meant that from 2006 she would fly the French flag and be registered in Caen with a full French crew.
Regular Routes
In mid 2012, Brittany Ferries announced that Normandie Express would no longer operate the Portsmouth - Caen Route in 2013. Instead, a new route was introduced, sailing from Portsmouth to Le Havre from May until September but only on Thursdays and Fridays. From April 2016, the Normandie Express will only operate daily sailing(s) from Portsmouth to Cherbourg.
Route(s) as of 2016:
Portsmouth-Cherbourg-Portsmouth daily from April to September
Former Route(s):
Portsmouth-Caen-Portsmouth and Portsmouth-Le Havre-Portsmouth
Additional Routes
In February 2008, Normandie Express covered the Plymouth-Roscoff route due to the Pont L'Abbe's delayed return from refit.
Normandie Express also sailed the Poole-Cherbourg-Poole route for 2 weeks from 30 April 2015 until 14 May 2015 whilst the MV Barfleur went for refit and to have Scrubbers fitted in Santander.
Today
HSC Normandie Express is currently in service, sailing on the Portsmouth to Cherbourg route until 12th September 2017.
Onboard facilities
Bars and restaurants
- Le Café.
- Le Bar x2.
Shop
- La Boutique.
The vessel was fitted with a Club lounge and children's play area but these were removed during the refit for Brittany Ferries in favour of more standard seats. Condor Vitesse which used to operate for Brittany Ferries under charter from Condor Ferries between Poole and Cherbourg has these facilities. During her most recent refit (2013/2014), HSC Normandie Express has received new Commodore Seating on board and new lighting in the Car Deck. The superstructure has been repainted and new internal flooring laid down.