LD Lines will boost its operations on the Portsmouth to Le Havre ferry route next year with the introduction of a new vessel, Norman Leader.
The car ferry was officially launched at a ceremony at the ST Marine shipyard in Singapore last month.
Norman Leader has been specially designed for the Portsmouth to Le Havre ferry link, a route that it will begin serving in early summer 2010.
The ship will be manned by 85 crew members who will be able to serve as many as 1,215 passengers and embark up to 400 cars.
Onboard facilities include a self-service restaurant for leisure passengers, two bars and 162 passenger cabins, two of which have been designed to accommodate people with disabilities.
LD Lines also confirmed recently that it would be changing its fleet deployment next year, with the high-speed catamaran Norman Arrow serving the Portsmouth to Le Havre ferry route and the conventional Norman Spirit operating the Dover to Boulogne ferry service.
Posted by Andrew Smith