Salamanca Fast Facts
| Current Name: Salamanca | Previous Names: |
| Shipyard: China Merchants Jinling Shipyard (Weihai) Co., Ltd. [CN], 269 | IMO Number: 9867592 |
| Current Operator: Brittany Ferries | Current Route: Portsmouth - Bilbao/Cherbourg |
| Length Overall: 214.5m | Beam: 27.8m |
| Passenger Capacity: 1015 | Vehicle Capacity: 2,705 lane metres of freight |
| Tonnage: 41,716 GT | Sister-ships: Santoña, Galicia (part-sister), Stena Estrid (part-sister), Stena Edda (part-sister), Stena Embla (part-sister), Cote d' Opale (part-sister), Saint-Malo (part-sister), Guillaume de Normandie (part-sister). |
Table of Contents
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Familiar but Different
The layout of SALAMANCA will be familiar to anyone who has travelled on GALICIA. Although Brittany Ferries’ E-Flexer ships are part of a series of similar vessels, Brittany Ferries has made its own design choices for the interior of the vessels.
In common with the other E-Flexer ferries to-date, SALAMANCA’s interior architect and initial interior designer was Figura Arkitekter’s Richard Nilsson, though working under the direction of both Stena RoRo and Brittany Ferries. The result is an interior design and layout not totally alien to that on the Stena Line E-Flexers, but with a clear Brittany Ferries character.
As with the company’s other E-Flexers, the SALAMANCA project has been overseen by Brittany Ferries Technical Director Catherine Querné. Catherine Querné also curated the art collection onboard, which is unique to SALAMANCA, along with Artistic Advisor Kimberly Poppe.
SALAMANCA is the second Brittany Ferries ship, after GALICIA, to have her interior modelled on Spain. The company’s third E-Flexer, SANTOÑA, will be largely identical to SALAMANCA with the only changes being the final touches to her decor. In common with the other E-Flexer ferries, the overall interior design of SALAMANCA was overseen by Richard Nilsson of Figura Arkitekter and the outfitting was by R&M.
Deck 7 Plan and Facilities
Deck 7 is the first of the two decks which house the enclosed public facilities onboard SALAMANCA. This deck is also one of three cabin decks on the ship.
Furthermost forward on deck 7 is Restaurant Azul, the main catering facility on SALAMANCA. A children’s play area, one of three onboard the vessel, is located near the rear of Restaurant Azul.
Behind Restaurant Azul and the children’s play area is a lounge running along the port side of the ship. Two boutiques, one for duty-free shopping and the other for gifts and refreshments are located opposite.
A full width area containing Guest Services and an interactive information area/lounge is located midships. Both the port and starboard outside decks can be accessed from here. The larger of these outside deck spaces, on the starboard side, also hosts the dog exercise area. This is next to the heated inside dog kennels accessed from the exercise area. Passengers can also choose to book a pet friendly cabin should they wish to keep their pets with them.
As with GALICIA, SALAMANCA’s deck 7 cabins are located behind the Guest Services and information area. These are a mixture of different types of two and four berth cabins, all with ensuite facilities and an interactive flatscreen TV with video on demand. Deck 7 also has several cabins specifically designed for people with mobility difficulties.
Deck 8 Plan and Facilities
The second of the two decks with enclosed passenger facilities is deck 8.
The forwardmost area is occupied by the C-Club premium lounge which offers panoramic views over the bow of the ferry, table service, and has its own toilet facilities. A reserved seating lounge with reclining seats is located immediately behind the C-Club.
The second restaurant facility on the ship, Taberna de Tapas, is located to starboard with a seating lounge occupying a smaller area on the opposite side. Further back is the second childrens play area to port and an exhibition gallery to starboard.
The impressive Plaza Mayor bar and café, which is flooded with natural night through its large skylight during the day occupies the full width of deck 8 midships.
Plaza Mayor is inspired by the famous square of the same name in the old city of Salamanca and is intended to give passengers the feeling of being in a Spanish city.
As with deck 7, the rear half of deck 8 is occupied by passenger cabin accommodation. Again, a selection of different cabins with ensuite facilities and video on demand is available. Deck 8 also houses 37 two-berth pullman-style freight driver cabins which have shared facilities.
Deck 9 Plan
The uppermost enclosed deck on SALAMANCA is deck 9.
This houses the crew facilities and main navigational bridge forward. The final 90 passenger cabins are also housed on deck 9, again towards the rear of the ferry.
Deck 10 Plan and Facilities
As with GALICIA, a large sundeck dominates SALAMANCA’s deck 10.
As with her part sister, the sun deck has its own outdoor childrens play area, a sundeck bar, passenger seating, and exercise machines for passenger use.
A unique feature on SALAMANCA is a specially commissioned mural. This was painted directly on to the steel bulkheads by Spanish artist Rubén Sanchez following the ferry’s arrival in Spain from China.
Vehicle Decks
One area where SALAMANCA differs from GALICIA is in her vehicle deck layout. As a consequence of her LNG capability, the lower hold on deck 1 is only available for the carriage of a small amount of drop trailers. This is because the majority of the space is needed to house the equipment and fuel tanks for LNG running.
The loss of most of the lower hold for freight contributes to a reduction in usable freight lane metres from approx 3,100 lm on GALICIA to 2,705 lm on SALAMANCA. A small amount of capacity is also lost on deck 3 as the two LNG refuelling points are located here.
Cabins
In common with Brittany Ferries’ other vessels, SALAMANCA offers passengers a range of different cabins including a choice of pet friendly cabins. Alternatively, passengers can also opt to book a reclining seat in the reserved seat lounge on deck 8.
All passenger cabins are air conditioned and have ensuite facilities. Baby cots suitable for infants under 24 months are available on request. The cabin options are as follows:
Commodore luxury suite: These come with a 160cm wide double bed with a superior mattress and high quality bed linen, free access to the premium C-Club lounge, direct access to the outside deck, a mini-bar with free soft drinks, and a sea view.
The Commodore suites also have a large flatscreen TV with free video on demand on both the TV and personal devices, a tea and coffee maker, complimentary toiletries, a hairdryer, and UK/European and USB sockets.
2-berth Commodore Club: The two berth Commodore cabins come with twin lower berth beds, free access to the premium C-Club lounge, a tea/coffee tray, and a sea view.
They also have a large flatscreen TV with free video on demand on both the TV and personal devices, complimentary toiletries, a hairdryer, and UK/European and USB sockets.
4-berth Club cabins with porthole: These are equipped with twin bunk beds and have a sea view.
Club cabins also have a flatscreen TV with free video on demand on both the TV and personal devices, a hairdryer, and UK/European and USB sockets
2 to 4 berth interior cabins: These have either twin beds or bunk beds, a flatscreen TV with free video on demand on both the TV and personal devices, and UK/European and USB sockets
Wheelchair accessible cabins: twin bed cabin with a porthole reserved for wheelchair users. These Premium Plus outdoor cabins are specially adapted for wheelchair users and have an alarm and telephone.
They also come with a flatscreen TV with free video on demand on both the TV and personal devices, wheelchair access to the bathroom and UK/European and USB sockets. They also feature ambient floor lighting wishing occupants “Bon voyage”
The availability of wheelchair accessible cabins is limited and early booking is essential.
Pet friendly 2 to 4 berth exterior cabins: With up to four berths, these cabins have a porthole, laminate flooring with space for a standard sized pet bed, a flatscreen TV with free video on demand on both the TV and personal devices, a hairdryer, and UK/European and USB sockets.
Pet friendly 2 to 4 berth interior cabins: These cabins are the same as the pet friendly exterior cabins, but do not have a porthole as they are situated on the inside of the ship.
Lounge seating: A premium reserved reclining seat offering a dedicated space to relax. This lounge is located in a quiet area forward on deck 8 next to the C-Club lounge.
Freight driver cabins: SALAMANCA also has 37 two-berth pullman-style cabins for freight drivers. These have shared facilities located close by.
Further details on SALAMANCA’s cabin options are available on the Brittany Ferries website here.
