P&O Ferries looks forward to new fleet arrivals

P&O Ferries has looked forward to the introduction of a new ship to its fleet after construction of the vessel passed a milestone in Rauma, Finland recently.

The keel of the first of two new ships being constructed for P&O Ferries was laid at the STX Europe shipyard and lucky coins were ceremonially placed beneath it.

Due to come into service at the end of next year and in September 2011, the new ships will be the largest vessels ever to serve the Dover to Calais ferry route.

Speaking at the ceremony in Finland, P&O Ferries chief executive Helen Deeble said: "These new ships represent an investment of €360 million [£316 million] in our continued success as market leaders in the UK ferry industry.

"Their scale is unprecedented for the Dover to Calais route, being specifically designed to the maximum dimensions the ports can accommodate, and we look forward to introducing our customers to these exciting additions to our fleet in due course."

P&O Ferries currently owns a fleet of 25 ships, which carry around ten million passengers and two million tourist vehicles every year.

In addition to its Calais ferry service, the company operates ferries to Bilbao, Rotterdam, Zeebrugge, Dublin and Larne.

Written by Mark Robinson