New Dover-Calais ferry introduced by operator
DFDS Seaways has continued its push for a share of the Dover-Calais market with the introduction of its second ship on the route.
The Deal Seaways, formally the Barfleur, has been chartered to the Danish firm by Brittany Ferries and will double the number of sailings for DFDS to Calais.
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Introduced last Friday, the ship, which weighs 20,000 gross tonnes, began its service from Calais before a "soft opening" launch at Dover in the evening.
She will be able to carry about 590 cars, 75 trucks and more than 1,200 passengers.
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DFDS had been in negotiations with other ferry operators not on the Dover Straits about acquiring a new vessel for several months after expanding its services on to the Calais route.
The Deal Seaways will operate alongside the Norman Spirit, owned by DFDS's partner on the short-seas market, LD Lines.
DFDS has not said how long the charter agreement with Brittany Ferries is in place for, but the company is rumoured to be interested in bidding for the SeaFrance vessels moored in Calais.
The DFDS passenger director for the English Channel said: "We have been really pleased with the uptake of the new route between Dover and Calais and are delighted to be able to respond to demand with the launch of the second vessel, therefore doubling the number of crossings.
"We're confident our customers will benefit from the flexibility of sailing times, as well as still having the option to travel to Dunkirk."
Rival P&O Ferries recently ruled itself out of the bidding war for collapsed SeaFrance's fleet and has said its traffic volumes have increased because of the operator's demise in January.
A spokesman said: "We just concentrate on our needs and we've said that we don't need the former SeaFrance ships, given that we've only recently taken delivery of two new ships for our Dover-Calais fleet."
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