Pride of Canterbury ferry

Former name: European Pathway

Specifications of Pride of Canterbury ferry

Year of build1991  /  Age: 33
BuilderSSW Schichau Seebeckwerft Shipyard (Bremerhaven, Germany)
Classcar and passenger ferry (Ro-Ro ship)
Ferry route / homeportsEnglish Channel (Dover-Calais)
Engines (power)Wartsila-Sulzer (23.2 MW / 31112 hp)
Speed21 kn / 39 km/h / 24 mph
Length (LOA)180 m / 591 ft
Beam (width)28 m / 92 ft
Gross Tonnage30635 gt
Passengers2000
Crew200
Cars600
Freight vehicles115
Decks8
Last Refurbishment2020, Aliaga-scrapped in 2024
Sister-shipsEuropean Seaway, Pride of Burgundy, Pride of Kent
Former namesEuropean Pathway
OwnerP&O Ferries Cyprus Ltd
OperatorP&O Ferries France

Pride of Canterbury ferry Review

Review of Pride of Canterbury ferry

MS Pride of Canterbury ferry (1991-built/2023-scrapped) was a Ro-Ro passenger vessel owned and operated by the UK company P&O FERRIES. The ship had a max capacity of 2000 passengers and 600 cars (or 115 lorries).

Until November 2022, Pride of Canterbury operated the UK-France ferry route Dover-Calais (crossing time 1,5 hours).

The vessel (IMO number 9007295) was Cyprus-flagged (MMSI 209505000) and registered in Limassol.

The sisterships Pride of Canterbury and Pride of Kent were replaced on the Dover-Calais route by two new ferries - the 2023-built P&O Pioneer and P&O Liberte.

On January 5, 2023, the 32-year-old ship left Calais en route to Aliaga Yard in Turkey to be scrapped (ETA Jan 15th). The last AIS data was received on January 12, 2023 (at 14:08 UTC).

Cabins

As cruise ferry, Pride of Canterbury has no cabins (passenger staterooms) due to the route's short crossing distance. Instead, the ship offers Reserved Seating Lounge (luxury Club-class bar lounge furnished with comfortable leather couches). Reserved seats are available for pre-booking. These deals are inclusive of complimentary beverages (champagne, tea, coffee, soft drinks) and newspapers.

Shipboard dining and entertainment options

The main passenger-accessible facilities include:

PO FERRIES Pride of Canterbury ferry ship

  • The Food Court (serving gourmet food and fine wines, patisseries, light snacks, pastries, hot and cold drinks)
  • Starbucks Coffee Bar
  • The Lounge is the ship's main bar lounge with comfortable seating and served by its own bar (light snacks and beverages - tea, coffee, soft drinks). During summer months opens an outdoor/open-air alfresco bar.

Shopping at the onboard shops offers a wide choice of brand products at discounted prices in comparison to UK high street prices. Up to 40% discounts are offered on luxury perfumes, skincare, cosmetics. Up to 30% discounts are offered on alcohol (spirits, wines, beers). The shops also sell bestseller books, newspapers, magazines, toys, games,

The ship has children-dedicated onboard areas, including playroom and movie room (for watching videos). During summer holidays' family breaks, the ferry company provides onboard kids entertainment program with specially trained staff and supervised activities (painting, drawing, treasure hunts, arts, and crafts).

Car decks

The ferry has 6 passenger-accessible decks: Car Deck 3 and Car Deck 5 (cars and trucks/freight), Car Deck 6 (cars only), decks 7 and 8 (main passenger facilities), deck 9 (outside/sundeck area).

Follows a list of car decks-related safety procedures:

  • All onboard emergency instructions are displayed in staterooms, on the TV screens and at the ship's assembly stations (aka muster stations). Life jackets are issued at the assembly stations. In case of emergency, the use of elevators/passenger lifts is forbidden.
  • Disabled passengers or those requiring specific assistance should visit the ship's Information Desk (open 24-hours).
  • Apply handbrake and place the vehicle in park or 1st gear position. Switch off the ignition, alarm, electrical equipment, headlights. Gas cylinders, if any, must be switched off. Lock the vehicle.
  • From your vehicle take only valuables and essential hand baggage.
  • Make a note of your vehicle's location and garage deck number/stairway before leaving the car deck.
  • Access to the ship's vehicle (cargo) decks during the voyage is prohibited.
  • Smoking on vehicle decks, as well as in cabins and passenger lounges is forbidden.
  • Wait for the onboard announcement before returning to your vehicle.

To avoid air pollution, don't start the engine until instructed.

ferry company PO FERRIES logo - CruiseMapper

The shipowner P&O Ferries (fleet, 2002-founded, headquartered in Dover England) is a UK ferry company operating on the shipping routes UK-France, UK-Ireland, UK-Holland (mini-cruises), UK-Belgium (mini-cruises) and Scotland-Northern Ireland.

Pride of Canterbury ferry ship related cruise news

Pride of Canterbury ferry Wiki

Pride of Canterbury and Pride of Kent are commonly popular as the "Darwins" (or "Darwin Twins") after the name given by P&O FERRIES to the ships' drydock conversion project.

The vessel was built in Germany (by Schichau Seebeckwerft in Bremerhaven) under hull/yard number 1076. It has summer DWT/deadweight 7509 tons and max draught 6,3 m (20 ft). The powerplant is based on four Wartsila-Sulzer diesel engines (model 8ZA40S) with total power output 23,2 MW.

Since 2003, the ferry is owned by P&O FERRIES CYPRUS LTD and operated/managed by P&O FERRIES FRANCE SA SU. Previously, in the period 1991-2003, the ship was under the ownership of Peninsular & Oriental SN Company.

In February 2019, the ship's flag-state was changed from UK (MMSI 232001060) to Cyprus (MMSI 209505000).

In December 2020, the 30-years-old Pride of Canterbury entered drydock in Rotterdam Holland for replacing one of its twin rudder stocks. The ship is equipped with BARKE (high-lift flap) rudders engineered by VDVMS. In 2018, Damen Marine Components merged with VDVMS-Van der Velden Marine Systems BV (Sumar Holland-based rudder and steering gear manufacturer). Replacing the worn starboard rudder also extended the ferry's service life.

The challenging project involved 3x Damen Group subsidiaries - DVR (Damen Verolme Rotterdam/ship repair yard), DSR (Damen Shiprepair Rotterdam) and DMC (Damen Marine Components/equipment manufacturer). The works (at DVR's Drydock 5) started with the removal of the rudder and the worn stock and transporting them (by road) to DSR. At DSR, the system was disassembled and its parts cleaned. DMC designed, produced and delivered the new rudder stock to DSR. The new stock's fitting was conducted at DSR, from where both parts were transported to DVR for mounting in the ship. A swing-test confirmed the rudder system's operability.