P&O boosts freight crossings on Dover to Calais route as demand grows

P&O Ferries has added a fifth ship to its Dover to Calais route in response to growing demand for extra crossings from the freight industry.

The Pride of Burgundy, which will be dedicated to freight, has the capacity to carry 120 lorries and 28,000 tonnes. It will make two return journeys each day.

P&O said the ship has been returned to service following growing demand from British and European customers.

Peter Hebblethwaite, P&O Ferries MD said: “I am delighted to see the restoration of our Dover-Calais fleet to its pre-pandemic strength of five, with the resulting increase in departures and frequency enabling us to take back market leadership on the English Channel and further improve our customer service. Pride of Burgundy will reinforce our cost-effective freight service by increasing capacity and flexibility on the route – a vital artery of trade upon which thousands of businesses and consumers rely.

He added: “With international trade at the heart of economic recovery, continual investment in our Dover-Calais route will encourage supply chain resilience by connecting people, businesses and nations.”

The Pride of Burgundy’s return follows P&O Ferries’ space sharing agreement on the Dover-Calais route, and the introduction of a second lift-on lift-off (LOLO) ship to double capacity between Zeebrugge and Hull.

P&O Ferries, which is a subsidiary of DP World, sails on eight routes between mainland Britain, France, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Holland and Belgium. Its logistics business, P&O Ferrymasters, operates integrated road and rail links to countries across the continent including Italy, Poland, Germany, Spain and Romania.