P&O North Sea Ferries is upgrading its Hull-Rotterdam service with a £180m order for two new ships for the route.
The vessels will be built at the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy and are scheduled for delivery in April and December 2001. They will replace passenger ferries Norsea and Norsun, which entered service in 1987, and two freight vessels.
Norsea and Norsun will move to the Hull-Zeebrugge route, to replace Norland and Norstar, which will then leave the passenger fleet.
“The new ships are the next generation in terms of comfort,” said account manager Jim Pybus. “There will be a small increase in capacity, but a dramatic increase in quality.”
Each cruise ferry will have capacity for 1,360 passengers in 546 cabins, all with en-suite facilities. There will also be suites and state rooms.
The present ships each hold 1,250 passengers, with overnight accommodation either in cabins – some without facilities – or reclining seats. The new vessels will include a wine bar, Irish pub and cyber cafe, restaurants, two cinemas, a casino and live entertainment lounge.
- P&ONSF is offering mini cruises from £26, including two nights on board ship in a reclining seat and a day trip to Amsterdam, Bruges or Rotterdam. The offer runs to the end of March.