P&O sign a contract for the biggest ferries in The Channel
The largest ferries to sail in the English Channel
No doubt inspired by all of our talk of Brunel and shipwrights of the past, P&O Ferries announced last week that they are investing €350m in two new car-passenger ferries that will operate on the Dover Calais route. The two vessels are expected for delivery in 2010 and 2011 respectively and will be built in the Aker Yards at Rauma in Finland.
The two new vessels which will join the P&O fleet of ferries that sails to France are expected to become the largest ferries that will sail in the English Channel. They will have capacity to carry 180 freight vehicles, 195 tourist cars and up to 2,000 passengers. Their vital statistics will be just as impressive, weighing 49,000 gross tonnes, with a length of 210 metres and having 2,700 metres of vehicle space or better put, the length of 27 football pitches.
Aker are one of the world’s two biggest cruise ship builders and they own dry docks in Finland and France. By building these new vessels and contracting one of the world’s finest shipbuilding companies, P&O Ferries have signalled their intent to patrol the English Channel for long into the future, and the greater quality and capacity will signify better experiences and better prices for the customer. Exciting times loom large on the south English coast.
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