French shipping company Brittany Ferries signed a charter deal for new LNG-powered cruise-ferry to be built at the AVIC Weihai Shipyard in China.

The vessel, set to join Brittany Ferries’ network in 2023, will be chartered from Göteborg-based Stena RoRo and will be built to the Swedish shipowner’s E-Flexer design, the company said in a statement.

Following delivery, Brittany Ferries’ fleet of E-Flexer class ships will be increased to three. It will add to the Galicia and Salamanca to be delivered in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Both vessels are chartered from Stena RoRo.

It is also the third LNG-powered vessel in the company’s fleet following Salamanca and Honfleur, the vessel that Brittany Ferries ordered at the FSG shipyard in Flensburg Germany, with delivery expected in late 2019.

The charter agreement, which includes an option to purchase, represents the next step in fleet renewal and investment programme worth around €550 million ($621 million), the statement reads.

The three 42,200 tonne E-Flexer class ships will be among the biggest in Brittany Ferries’ fleet. Each will be 215 meters long with 3,000 garage lane meters for freight vehicles, and capacity for around 1,000 passengers in 340 en-suite cabins.