ferry operator profile
P&O Ferries’ bid to conquer
low sulphur challenge
A fleet life extension programme, energy efficiency management and upcoming low sulphur regulations are the main items on the agenda for P&O Ferries and its fleet director John Garner. The Dover, UK-headquartered company has implemented some changes to its 22-ship fleet recently, the most notable of which has been to introduce 47,592gt Spirit of Britain and sister vessel Spirit of France in 2011 and 2012, respectively. These have replaced Pride of Dover, which has been sold, and Pride of Calais, which P&O Ferries has leased to Transeuropa Ferries on a bareboat hire purchase charter agreement. The ship has now been renamed Ostend Spirit. There were two main reasons why Spirit of Britain and Spirit of
France were built. First, P&O Ferries decided that, in line with its fleet renewal programme, it wanted to review their role as they were 24 years old. What made replacement inevitable, however, was a second factor: it wanted vessels that are able to carry more freight units.
While the capacity for 2,000 passengers is the same, Pride of
Dover and Pride of Calais were the oldest and smallest vessels in the fleet and could only carry 88 freight units, while the Spirit class ships can carry 169 freight units. Mr Garner explained that
30 I Passenger Ship Technology I 2nd Quarter 2013
there was a certain period of time in the day - between 3pm-8pm - when most freight travelled. The greater freight capacity of the larger ships means that P&O Ferries can lift freight off the quay in a smaller amount of time and so reduce dwell time to a “very low level” (see PST Spring 2011). While the latest vessels are on a different level when it comes
to energy efficiency, this aspect is significant for the rest of P&O Ferries’ fleet since the company has launched energy optimisation tools across its other vessels. Mr Garner summed up the initiatives as encompassing two areas: operational and technical innovation. For example, the operator has installed a dynamic trim measurement system on Pride of Rotterdam, which uses specialised measurement and monitoring equipment to measure the most efficient trim while at sea and give information to the crew. They can then adjust the trim to make it optimal for the passage, taking into account depth of water and prevailing weather conditions. On Pride of Hull a hull performance and machinery monitoring system has been installed to help the crew pinpoint where hull or machinery performance might be improved. Alongside replacement, an important theme for P&O Ferries’ fleet is a life-extension programme that it recently embarked
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