MS Stena Baltica (2007)

Cotentin is a ROPAX ferry owned and operated by Brittany Ferries between Poole and Cherbourg from January until March 2021 and then Portsmouth and Le Havre from March 2021 until June 2021. She previously operated for Brittany Ferries between 2007 and 2013 between Poole-Cherbourg before being chartered to Stena Line as Stena Baltica serving the route between Gdynia and Karlskrona.

For other ships with the same name, see MS Stena Baltica.

Cotentin arriving in Santander
History
Name:
  • Cotentin (2007–2013)
  • Stena Baltica (2013–2020)
  • Cotentin (2020-present)
Owner: SOMANOR
Operator:
Route:
Ordered: 2 August 2005[1]
Builder: Aker Finnyards, Helsinki, Finland
Yard number: 1357
Launched: 13 April 2007[1]
Christened: 26 November 2007[1]
Acquired: 9 November 2007[1]
In service: 26 November 2007
Homeport:
Identification:
Status: In service
General characteristics [1]
Tonnage:
Length: 167.00 m (547.90 ft)
Beam: 26.80 m (87.93 ft)
Draught: 6.20 m (20.34 ft)
Ice class: 1B
Installed power: 2 × MaK diesels, combined 21600 kW
Propulsion: 2 x Screw Propeller Controllable pitch LB 10.00
Speed: 23 knots (43 km/h; 26 mph)
Capacity:
  • 200 passengers
  • 120 passenger cabins
  • 120 freight vehicles
  • 2200 lanemeters
Crew: 50

The vessel was built by Aker Finnyards in Finland for Brittany Ferries and named after the Cotentin Peninsula of France of which Cherbourg is the largest town. Cotentin was also the name of one of the original Truckline vessels to sail between Poole and Cherbourg. Sea trials commenced on 26 September 2007, after which she returned to the shipyard for completion. She was delivered to Brittany Ferries on 9 November 2007 and undertook berthing trials in Portsmouth and Poole on 14 November 2007 prior to sailing to her homeport of Cherbourg arriving the next day. Her first commercial sailing was the 23:45 Cherbourg–Poole service on 26 November 2007. Cotentin replaced MV Coutances on weekday Poole–Cherbourg sailings.

Cotentin sails under the British flag and is registered in London. The ships gross tonnage is 22,308.[1]

Brittany Ferries service


When the order for Cotentin in 2005 was announced it was not made clear which route the vessel would be placed on. The French press released stated that she would be for the Portsmouth–Cherbourg and run to Santander at the weekends route while the English press release simply stated that she would be used in the Cherbourg route and to Spain at the weekend.

An October 2006 article in International Freighting Weekly included comments from a Brittany Ferries executive which suggested that the ship would be placed on the Poole–Cherbourg route and that the timetable currently operated by Coutances would be amended to give more "social" departure times, specifically changing the 02:00 summer time departure from Cherbourg.[3]

Up to mid-July 2007 the Brittany Ferries Freight timetable showed a two-ship service on Poole–Cherbourg after the delivery of Cotentin, and no Portsmouth–Cherbourg sailings, indicating the company's intention to place the ship on the Poole–Cherbourg route alongside Barfleur. Newspaper articles covering the launch of the vessel stated that the vessel would primarily be used on the Poole route. Despite the initial announcement that the ship would run to Santander at the weekend a decision had not been made at the time as to whether this will be the ships Spanish destination due to port fees. Other ports that were in the running to receive Cotentin were Bilbao and Gijon.

On 21 July 2007 it was announced by Brittany Ferries that Cotentin would operate from Poole,[4] a partially amended timetable for the Poole–Cherbourg route had been posted prior to the announcement though Cotentin sailings were absent until the delivery date was confirmed. The amendments allowed for Cotentin's Poole–Santander weekend sailings.

The 2008 timetable revealed on 12 September 2007 showed Cotentin entering service in mid-November 2007 on the Poole–Cherbourg route with services to Santander commencing shortly after. Initially the 2008 timetable showed that after Christmas Cotentin would move to the Caen route to provide refit cover for Mont St Michel before returning to Poole. Her place on the Cherbourg and Santander route was to have been taken by Bretagne, however shortly after its release the timetable was edited and Cotentin will remain on the Cherbourg and Santander routes throughout January. From mid-May 2008 Cotentin will commence the new summer timetable with sailings on the Cherbourg route carried out in 3 hours 45 minutes as opposed to the previous 4 hours 30 mins on Coutances. The crossing time was extended after a short time operating the new timetable as a fuel saving measure.

MV Cotentin under construction at Aker Finnyards Helsinki New Shipyard

Stena Line

In 2013 Cotentin was chartered to Stena Line for their service between Karlskrona, Sweden and Gdynia, Poland. She was renamed Stena Baltica and transferred from French to British flag with London as port of registry.[1]

Return to Brittany Ferries

Amid rumours that the vessel would return to Brittany Ferries after the charter to Stena Line expired at the end of October 2020, the vessel emerged from dry dock in Gdansk in Brittany Ferries new livery and later departed for Le Havre where the vessel was later renamed Cotentin again and reflagged back to Cherbourg, France.

It was confirmed that Cotentin would enter service from January 2021 between Poole and Cherbourg providing extra capacity as part of the companies Brexit capacity agreement with the UK Government. It was then confirmed that the vessel would move to the Portsmouth to Le Havre service in March 2021 replacing the Etretat which would be returned to Stena RoRo having itself been replaced at Poole by fleetmate Barfleur with the arrangement lasting until June 2021.

It is not yet clear what would happen to the vessel after this however any replacement of Barfleur or rebuilding to ROPAX service had been ruled out.

References
  1. (in Swedish) Fakta om Fartyg: M/S Cotentin (2007), retrieved 12. 11. 2007
  2. Bureau Veritas - Cotentin
  3. International Freighting Weekly
  4. Bournemouth Daily Echo – New Ferry to Run on Poole Route


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