THE battle to fill the cross-channel void left by doomed ferry operator SeaFrance is set to begin this month following the arrival of P&O Ferries' latest super ship.

The 47,000 ton Spirit of France arrived at the Port of Dover last Saturday after completing her 1,4000 mile voyage from the Rauma shipyard in Finland.

She will join her sister ship, the Spirit of Britain, in service on February 9 completing a £300 million investment on the short seas market by P&O Ferries.

Her arrival at the weekend comes as DFDS and LD Lines confirmed to the Express that their joint venture to establish a new Dover-Calais service in direct competition with P&O could be up and running by the end of February.

It would mean Dover would again see two rival ferry operators competing for the Dover-Calais route following the collapse of SeaFrance.

Speaking of the arrival of the Spirit of France, P&O Ferries chief executive Helen Deeble said: "This investment gives us the finest cross-Channel ferries ever commissioned for the Dover Strait and is a bold statement of our determination to continue to raise the bar in terms of the quality and comfort of ferry travel."

The Spirit of France boasts 12 decks and can carry 160 lorries, 250 cars and 2,000 passengers in one crossing, as can the Spirit of Britain.

Following the demise of SeaFrance, P&O has said it has taken on the majority of the French firm's custom while DFDS Seaways has said its expansion from its current Dover-Dunkirk services into the Calais market is a "logical step".

Vice president of the Danish operator Gert Jakobsen told the Express: "We have not completely started the recruitment phase yet, although we have received job applications.

"We would like to launch a Dover-Calais service operated by two ships and we are very optimistic that we can complete with P&O Ferries.

"We are already established on our Dunkirk route and we have expressed an interest in expanding ever since we made a bid for some of SeaFrance's assets last year.

"To introduce a Calais service is the next logical step for us in our joint venture with LD Lines."

Chris Laming, director of communications for P&O Ferries, said his company welcomed competition on the Calais route.

He said: "We will have to see how the DFDS-LD Lines scheme develops.

"The demise of SeaFrance means the end of state aid on the short-seas market in Dover which has skewed ticket prices.

"Healthy competition is also good for the customer."