MV Coutances
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| Career | |
|---|---|
| Name: | MV Coutances |
| Owner: | Truckline Ferries |
| Operator: | 1977-1985: Truckline Ferries 1985-present: Brittany Ferries |
| Port of Registry: | Cherbourg,  France |
| Route: | Portsmouth - Caen (Ouistreham) Portsmouth - Cherbourg Poole - Cherbourg |
| Builder: | Ateliers et Chantiers du Havre |
| Completed: | 1977, lengthened in 1986 |
| In service: | 1978 |
| Status: | Laid up in Cherbourg. Withdrawn from service 1 May 2008 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage: | 6,507 gross register tons (GRT) |
| Length: | 125.5 m (411.7 ft) |
| Beam: | 17.5 m (57.4 ft) |
| Installed power: | 2x MaK type 9M453AK medium speed four stoke diesel engines |
| Speed: | 18 kn (33 km/h/21 mph) |
| Capacity: | 58 passengers 64 vehicles |
The M/V Coutances is a freight ferry operated by Brittany Ferries. It was built at Ateliers et Chantiers du Havre shipyard in France for Truckline Ferries and entered service in 1977. In 1985 Truckline was purchased by Brittany Ferries and in 1986 they sent Coutances and her sister Purbeck to be lengthened which increased their capacity by 34%. In 2004 Coutances was repainted in Brittany Ferries livery. She has sailed for most of her life between Poole and Cherbourg though was briefly replaced by the Normandie Shipper in the early nineties. In November 2007 Coutances was replaced on most Poole-Cherbourg sailings by the Cotentin, a new freight ferry constructed by Aker Finnyards. Coutances was withdrawn from service on 1 May 2008 and put up for sale.
Coutances sails under the French flag and is registered in Cherbourg.
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[edit] Regular routes
- Primary route from 1977 until November 2007. Then weekends only from end of November 2007 until end of February 2008. Sundays only from 1 March 2008. Coutances final sailing on this route was the 16:00 Poole-Cherbourg on 28 April 2008.
- Primary route from end of November 2007. Monday to Thursday only until 30 April 2008.
- Weekly positioning move from end of November 2007. Coutances final commercial Brittany Ferries sailing was on this route on 1 May 2008.
[edit] Other routes served
Coutances has also served on Portsmouth-Caen (Ouistreham) in the early years of the route where she provided extra freight capacity. She has also seen use on Plymouth-Roscoff and Plymouth-Santander.
On 13 December 2007 Coutances sailed from Portsmouth to the Channel Islands on charter to Condor Ferries to cover for the damaged Commodore Goodwill.
[edit] Onboard facilities
- Bar.
- Drivers Restaurant.
- Counter service of duty paid goods.
- Four Berth Cabins
