A French shipbuilder has been shortlisted for the construction of two vessels to serve the traffic between the Isles of Scilly and the English mainland. The Piriou organisation, based in Brittany, has been named by the Isles of Scilly Steamship Group as its preferred shipbuilder to deliver replacements for the company’s long-serving passenger ferry and a small freight carrier.

The parties are working towards the signing of firm contracts during October 2023, with a view to commissioning the vessels on the year-round link between the island archipelago and Penzance ahead of the 2026 summer season.

The envisaged 72m newbuild Scillonian IV would have capacity for 600 passengers, 115 more than the present, 46 year-old Scillonian III, and the prospective, 45m cargo ship would be larger than the current, 1981-built Gry Maritha.