| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 05/06/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 6 |
| Copyright: Other |
SeaFrance puts in order for new ship
SeaFrance puts in order for new ship
SeaFrance has sent a letter of intent to the Finnish shipbuilding company, Aker Yards, for the construction of a car ferry to operate on the Dover to Calais route.The ship will be scheduled for delivery at the end of September next year.
A SeaFrance spokesperson said the new ferry will be the fastest on the Dover to Calais route with a service speed of up to 25 knots and will reduce the crossing time from 90mins to roughly 1hr.
At 185 metres long and 28 metres wide, the vessel will also be the largest ever to operate on the route, carrying up to 1,900 passengers.
It will offer a vehicle deck space of 2,000 lane metres – sufficient capacity for 120 lorries or 700 cars.
SeaFrance may also purchase a sister ship, enabling the company to speed up plans to renew the fleet, if its results in the mid-term are satisfactory.
Meanwhile, the Spanish ferry operator Navieres Armas has bought the passenger/ro-ro ferry, SeaFrance Monet. The 1974-built SeaFrance Monet will be repaired at a Spanish yard after sustaining hull damage in a collision with the quay while berthing at the port of Calais on March 29.