#P&Oboost - P&O Ferries has reacted to strong demand in the English Channel ferry market by bringing a sixth-ship back into service on the Dover-Calais route.
According to Lloyds Loading List, the ferry operator's 23,000 ton European Seaway which has the capacity to carry up to 120 freight vehicles - will return to the route for the peak season from the beginning of August. It is expected to make eight sailings a day.
European Seaway will supplement P&O Ferries' existing five-ship fleet on Dover-Calais which makes up to 50 sailings a day.
"The European Seaway will give us more capacity, and better equip us to support our freight customers, at a time when cross-Channel traffic is increasing in volume. By freeing up freight space on our five other Dover-Calais ships, it will also enable us more effectively to carry tourists between Britain and France during the peak summer season," said P&O Ferries' Commercial Director at P&O Ferries, Janette Bell.
She added "The route between Dover and Calais is vital to the British and French economies, to hundreds of thousands of businesses whose supply chains depend on cross-Channel travel, and to the millions of tourists whose holidays begin on one of our ferries. We are doing everything we can to ensure that this vital sea crossing functions as efficiently as possible".
Afloat.ie adds that rivals DFDS France expanded their Dover-Calais to a two-ship service with the Malo Seaways earlier this year. This combined with services to Dunkerque increased the operator's fleet out of Dover to five ferries, however, only last month DFDS acquired a pair of MyFerryLink ferries fro the Eurotunnel Group.
Malo Seaways had served a previous career on the Irish Sea as Stena Nordica on the Dublin Port-Holyhead. Stena Line replaced her with Stena Superfast X (formerly with DFDS) which too boosted freight capacity having transferred to the core central corridor route.