China’s Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI) has landed a newbuildings contract from P&O Ferries for large battery-fitted vessels.
The UK company has signed up to four 230-metre ropax super ferries with the Chinese state-owned shipyard. The deal involves for two firm vessels plus options for two more.
P&O Ferries said the the two firm newbuildings are worth €260m ($324m), inline with a shipbuilding's estimate that the each ferry newbuilding costs around €130m.
The vessels' batteries are aimed at saving on fuel costs.
The contract with GSI may marked P&O Ferries’ first-ever shipbuilding deal that is awarded to a Chinese shipbuilder. According to Clarksons’ Shipping Intelligence Network, P&O Ferries does not own any Chinese-built ferries. Most of its vessels were constructed in Europe or Japan.
P&O Ferries is planning to use the new ships on the English Channel.
“Two new 230-metre super-ferries – the largest ever to sail between Dover and Calais – will be operational by 2023,” said P&O.
If P&O Ferries is to exercise the optional ships, they are to be built by 2024.
“These will be the most sustainable ships ever to sail on the English Channel, providing the best ever customer experience and setting new standards for reliability and cost efficiency,” said Janette Bell, Chief Executive of P&O Ferries.
“Together with our freight and overnight routes on the North Sea, the new ships will offer customers travelling between Britain and Europe an unrivalled range of services connecting sea and land. They are designed to secure P&O Ferries’ position as a vital part of Europe’s transport infrastructure into the 2040s.”
P&O Ferries chairman Robert Woods added: “This major investment in a new generation of super-ferries is a powerful testament to the commitment of DP World, our owner, to enable trade flows between Britain and Europe by providing first class shipping capacity for many years to come.”
