Irish Ferries has acquired the Spirit of Britain vessel from P&O Ferries’ fleet, to be used on cross-Channel sailings.
Irish Continental Group (ICG), the parent of Irish Ferries, said the ferry will be renamed and rebranded before entering service next month on the Dover-Calais route.
The ship will replace the Isle of Innisfree, which will move to the Rosslare-Pembroke route, replacing a temporary charter ship currently servicing the link between Ireland and Britain.
ICG said in a statement: “The Spirit of Britain will enhance our customer offering and increase our capacity for both passenger and freight customers on the Dover-Calais route.
“The ship has been acquired for a total consideration of €89.4 million settled through a combination of a two-year bareboat charter set at €20,000 per day and a purchase obligation for €74.8 million at the end of the charter.”
The Spirit of Britain entered service in 2011 and has capacity for up to 2,000 passengers, plus 1,059 cars or 180 freight vehicles. The Isle of Innisfree can carry up to 1,140 passengers, plus 83 freight vehicles or 600 cars.
Andrew Sheen, managing director at Irish Ferries, said: “The addition of the Spirit of Britain on the Dover-Calais route and the Isle of Innisfree on the Rosslare-Pembroke route is a sign of our ongoing commitment to these routes, and ensuring we offer our freight and passenger customers quality service for these important connections between Britain and France and Britain and Ireland.”
Irish Ferries has three ships on the Dover-Calais route.
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