Armorique was also the name of a previous Brittany Ferries vessel purchased for service between Portsmouth and St Malo in 1975 and sold in 1993.

The vessel was designed and built specifically for the Plymouth-Roscoff route, as a replacement for the Pont L'Abbe.

However, due to severe weather conditions, this crossing was cancelled, and she sailed to Plymouth without passengers.

Initial artist impressions from Aker Yards showed a vessel that shared a number of similarities to the Cotentin.

Revisions include a design change to the funnel and upper cabin deck along with alterations to the proposed livery.