First of P&O ferry pair delivered from STX Finland

The Spirit of Britain will be the largest ferry operating in the English Channel. The 47,600-gt vessel is 213m long and has a capacity of 3,746 lane metres for trailers, cars and other cargo. In addition to space for about 180 freight trucks and 195 passenger cars, the vessel can accommodate 2,000 passengers. Sister ship Spirit of France is scheduled to be delivered from Rauma in September 2011.

The yard says that the hull design of Spirit of Britain was optimised for the vessel’s specific Dover-Calais route to ensure maximum performance and good manoeuvring characteristics. Special attention was paid to environmentally friendly and energy-efficient solutions and safety. The ship is claimed to be the first car-passenger ferry to meet IMO’s Safe Return to Port requirements. It also meets the requirements of the Lloyd’s Register Green Passport scheme.

“We are very proud of the ship that has now been completed. The Spirit of Britain is clear proof of the superior expertise of STX Rauma shipyard in the building of modern and technically demanding car-passenger ferries. I want to extend a warm thank you to the owner and all those involved in the project – STX’s own personnel and the numerous co-operating partners and sub-contractors”, states the Director of STX Rauma shipyard, Timo Suistio.