Isles of Scilly Steamship Group picks preferred shipbuilder
The Isles of Scilly Steamship Group has named Piriou as its preferred shipbuilder to build and deliver two new vessels.
In April, the Isles of Scilly Steamship Group announced a private financing solution for the replacement of the vessels and the intent to select a preferred shipyard. This announcement continues the next stage of the group’s plan.
Piriou is a long-established ship builder with over 50 years’ experience building more than 600 vessels. It has over 1,400 highly-skilled employees, including an in-house design team and production facilities in Europe, Africa, and Asia. Piriou has a strong balance sheet with an annual turnover of over €300m.
Appointing Piriou comes after months of thorough evaluation, technical questioning and site visits to France and Vietnam, as part of the group’s due diligence processes.
The Isles of Scilly Steamship Group and Piriou will start detailed design work with the intention of signing contracts in October 2023 for the new Scillonian IV passenger ship and a new cargo vessel to replace the current Gry Maritha.
Construction of both vessels will get underway in Piriou’s Vietnam yard in spring 2024. The vessels will then be transferred to Piriou’s yard in France for commissioning and testing, ready for delivery ahead of the 2026 season.
The new faster passenger ferry will be designed to provide passengers with greater comfort through improved stabilisation, accessibility and an overall enhanced experience.
The new cargo vessel will have increased freight capacity and provide comfortable transport for up to 12 passengers per sailing during the winter. Both vessels will use the latest propulsion technology with improved environmental credentials along with the capability to be upgraded as green technologies mature.
Stuart Reid, CEO, of the Isles of Scilly Steamship Group said: “This is a big step forward and an important milestone for our vessel replacement programme, which will deliver new and improved vessels for the Isles of Scilly. The selection process started with over 30 shipyards which have been evaluated by our experienced project team. The project team, consisting of a mix of technical expertise, shipbuilding experience and the four masters of our current vessels, worked through a series of bids delivered by the shipyards. Visits took place to shortlisted shipyards to complete our extensive due diligence. The project team was unanimous in its decision to appoint Piriou as its preferred shipyard on the basis of experience, technical expertise in delivering specialist ferries and competitiveness.”
Ian Howard, chairman of the Isles of Scilly Steamship Group said: “Piriou has an excellent reputation for building both passenger ferries and cargo vessels. Its naval architects and senior management team have conducted multiple visits to Penzance and the Isles of Scilly and have a full understanding of the challenges of the route and infrastructure to support the new vessels. We are very excited to be working with Piriou and building vessels which will deliver significant service enhancements.”
