World’s largest double-ended hybrid ferry P&O Pioneer docks at Limassol for bunkering

P&O Ferries’ new Fusion Class hybrid ferry, P&O Pioneer, recently docked at Limassol Port en route from Guangzhou, China to Dover, UK.

The boat made the stop to refuel on its way to its new port, from where it is anticipated to carry out the Dover-Calais route from May.

DP World ensured that its specialised staff provided the boat with every necessary service during this leg of its maiden journey.

During its time in Limassol, DP World provided the P&O Pioneer with berthing, bunkering and marine services. More specifically, the companies Unifeeder and P&O Maritime Cyprus undertook the bunkering of the ship and the marine services respectively, while DP World Limassol provided the berthing services.

The Pioneer is set to be the world's largest double-ended hybrid ferry which, due to its two bridges, does not need to turn around in ports when docking or departing, saving fuel on every trip.

P&O Pioneer is anticipated to reduce the carbon emissions produced on the Dover-Calais route by 40% from its very first day of operation. This would make it the most environmentally friendly ferry ever to make the journey between the UK and mainland Europe, furthering the UK shipping industry's goal of a zero carbon footprint.

The Fusion Class vessel allows P&O Ferries to reduce fuel consumption on each journey as it uses an internal combustion engine in combination with batteries. The hybrid system reduces fuel consumption and the ship's carbon emissions, as it uses an Electric Energy Storage System during its maneuvers in the port. At the same time, it has been designed in such a way that is expected to allow it to achieve zero emissions in the future. In particular, thanks to its modular design, the ship will be able to be modified by installing new technologies.

The P&O Pioneer is the first of two identical ships built to operate the Dover – Calais route, and it is worth noting that both are registered in the Cypriot registry. The second, P&O Liberte, is expected to enter service around the end of 2023.

As part of the reception of the ship during its docking at the Port of Limassol, an event was organised, which was honored with the presence of Cyprus’ new Deputy Minister of Shipping, Marina Hatjimanolis, selected guests from the Cyprus Ports Authority, the Port and Maritime Police, as well as other officials and local partners of the Company.

Peter Hebblethwaite, CEO of P&O Ferries, commented, “The delivery of P&O Pioneer is an important step for P&O Ferries, and one that will bring advanced sustainable technology to the Dover-Calais crossing. We are excited to offer our passengers and freight customers the chance to experience this state-of-the-art new ferry on our busiest route, which is also one of the UK’s most important connections with the continent of Europe.”

“Last summer we carried more than one million passengers on this route and are looking forward to an exciting summer ahead with the first of our two new ships,” he continued.

On his part, Nawaf Abdulla, CEO of DP World Limassol said, “I am delighted to be inaugurating this state-of-the-art hybrid ferry at DP World Limassol Terminal, in the presence of key government officials and stakeholders of the maritime sector.”

“The fact that leading companies such as Unifeeder and P&O Ferries, which are both part of the DP World Group, choose to register their vessels in Cyprus is a testament to the country’s favourable Tonnage Tax System (TTS) and the government’s efforts to make the Cyprus flag more competitive. Our global range of products and solutions, from ports and technology to marine services and logistics, enables us to create end-to-end, sustainable supply chain solutions that can reshape the way the world trades,” he noted.

British ferry operator P&O Ferries is a subsidiary of leading logistics provider DP World Group. The company operates routes from the UK to Ireland as well as Continental Europe (France and the Netherlands). In 2019, P&O Ferries moved the registration of its fleet serving the English Channel from the registry of Dover (UK) to Limassol (Cyprus).

Source: P&O Ferries, InBusinessNews