A Brittany Ferries hybrid vessel is the first of its ships to use Portsmouth Port’s new plug-in electricity facility before sailing to France. The BBC reports that the ship plugs into the port’s power supply at Portsmouth, where the infrastructure is part of a £24.4 million project. The Independent says the vessel, Guillaume de Normandie, departs for France on Monday morning after around two hours of charging. Yahoo UK News also covers the same development, describing the ship’s use of plug-in electricity ahead of departure from Portsmouth. Across the coverage, the key point is that the vessel transitions from shore power to sea travel as it leaves the UK port, using the facility to reduce the need to run onboard engines while at berth. The reports do not detail the precise technical share of propulsion versus shore power, but they agree the ship is the first to connect to the port’s newly installed electricity system and that charging occurs shortly before departure for the crossing.