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Genre | Ferry company |
---|---|
Predecessor | Townsend Thoresen |
Founded | 1987 |
Defunct | 1999 |
Successor | P&O Portsmouth, P&O Stena Line, P&O Irish Sea |
Area served | English Channel North Channel |
Services | Passenger transportation, freight transportation |
P&O European Ferries (formerly Townsend Thoresen), a division of P&O Ferries, was a ferry company which operated in the English Channel from 1987 after the Herald of Free Enterprise disaster, when Townsend Thoresen was renamed P&O European Ferries, until 1999 when the Portsmouth Operations became P&O Portsmouth and the Dover Operations were merged with Stena Line AB to make P&O Stena Line.
P&O European Ferries was formed after the Townsend Thoresen ship, Herald of Free Enterprise, capsized outside Zeebrugge in 1987. P&O owned the whole of European Group who marketed their ferry services as Townsend Thoresen. After the bad publicity that the Zeebrugge disaster brought to the brand P&O quickly rebranded Townsend Thoresen as P&O European Ferries with all of the former TT fleet, all of the vessels received the Blue P&O hull and blue funnel.
In 1993 P&O launched a new Portsmouth to Bilbao route using the former Olympia and renamed her the Pride of Bilbao. In 1994 when Olau Line ceased operations the 2 German built superferries Olau Britannia and Olau Hollandia were chartered to P&O and they were both renamed the Pride of Portsmouth and the Pride of Le Havre respectively. The new Pride of Le Havre replaced the first ship of that name which was renamed Pride of Cherbourg and replaced the original Pride of Cherbourg on the Portsmouth - Cherbourg route.
In 1998 P&O European Ferries Dover operations and Stena Line's Dover & Newhaven operations merged and became P&O Stena Line with P&O European Ferries putting forward their Dover - Calais and Dover - Zeebrugge route vessels forward and P&O Irish Sea was formed in 1998, following the merger of the Cairnryan-based service of P&O European Ferries (Felixstowe) Ltd and Pandoro (who operated routes between England, Scotland and France to Ireland), while the Portsmouth operations remained unchanged until 1999 when it became P&O Portsmouth.
Ship | Service | Route(s) |
---|---|---|
Pride of Ailsa | 1992-1996 | Cairnryan-Larne |
Pride of Bilbao | 1993–1999 | Portsmouth-Bilbao |
Pride of Cherbourg (1) | 1989–1994 | Portsmouth-Le Havre/Cherbourg |
Pride of Cherbourg (2) | 1994–1999 | Portsmouth-Cherbourg |
Pride of Cherbourg II | 1994 | Portsmouth-Cherbourg |
Pride of Hampshire | 1989-1999 | Portsmouth-Le Havre/Cherbourg |
Pride of Le Havre (1) | 1989–1994 | Portsmouth-Le Havre/Cherbourg |
Pride of Le Havre (2) | 1994–1999 | Portsmouth-Le Havre |
Pride of Portsmouth | 1994–1999 | Portsmouth-Le Havre |
Pride of Rathlin | 1992-1998 | Cairnryan-Larne |
Pride of Sandwich | 1988-1992 | Dover-Calais/Zeebrugge |
Pride of Walmer | 1988-1992 | Dover-Calais/Zeebrugge |
Pride of Winchester | 1989–1995 | Portsmouth-Le Havre/Cherbourg |
Superstar Express | 1998–1999 | Portsmouth-Cherbourg |
Jetliner | 1996-1998 | Cairnryan-Larne |
Pride of Bruges | 1988-1998 | Dover-Calais/Zeebrugge |
Pride of Dover | 1987–1998 | Dover-Calais |
Pride of Calais | 1987–1998 | Dover-Calais |
Pride of Kent | 1987–1998 | Dover-Calais/Zeebrugge |
European Highway | 1992–1998 | Dover-Zeebrugge |
European Pathway | 1992–1998 | Dover-Zeebrugge |
European Seaway | 1993–1998 | Dover-Zeebrugge |
Pride of Burgundy | 1993–1998 | Dover-Calais |
Ionic Ferry | 1987-1992 | Cairnryan-Larne |
European Endeavour | 1987 - 1998 | Dover - Calais/Zeebrugge Larne-Cairnryan / Felixstowe-Zeebrugge |
Europic Ferry | 1987-1993 | Cairnryan-Larne |
Cairnryan is a village in the historical county of Wigtownshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It lies on the eastern shore of Loch Ryan, six miles north of Stranraer and 81 miles (130 km) southwest of Glasgow.
MS Pride of Dover was a cross-channel ferry built-in 1987 for Townsend Thoresen. One of two 'Chunnel Beater' ships she primarily operated on the Dover – Calais route alongside her sister ship the Pride of Calais for P&O Ferries Ferries until 2010.
P&O Ferries is a British shipping company that operates ferries from United Kingdom to Ireland, and to Continental Europe. The company was created in 2002 through mergers and acquisitions within P&O. It has been owned by Dubai-based DP World since 2019.
P&O Portsmouth was the name for P&O European Ferries' Portsmouth operations from 1999 to 2002 when it was merged with the Dover Operations to become P&O Ferries.
The MS Pride of Winchester, was a UK Ro-Ro/Passenger ferry, which was part of P&O European Ferries' fleet. She was built in 1975 by Aalborg as the Viking Viscount for Townsend Thoresen and was put into service by P&O European Ferries in 1989, when European Ferries Group was purchased by P&O. She was named after Winchester, a city in Hampshire, England.
MS Oujda was a roll-on/roll off ferry built as Viking Venturer by Aalborg Værft AS in 1974 for Townsend Thoresen.
P&O Irish Sea was the trading name of P&O Ferries in the Irish Sea from 1998 to 2010, when it was rebranded P&O Ferries.
MS Isle of Innisfree is a passenger and car ferry to be operated by Irish Ferries between Dover and Calais. Originally built at Boelwerf as the Prins Filip originally sailing between Dover and Ostend, later between Ostend and Ramsgate, she has since 1997 operated for a wide variety of companies.
P&O Stena Line was formed in 1998 after the merger of P&O European Ferries (Dover) Ltd and the Dover and Newhaven operations of Stena Line.
The MS Anthi Marina was a ferry operated by GA Ferries. She was the first of three 'Spirit' class ferries built for Townsend Thoresen, as MS Spirit of Free Enterprise. Her two sister ships were MS Pride of Free Enterprise and MS Herald of Free Enterprise.
MS GNV Cristal is a cruiseferry owned by the Italy-based SNAV and operated by their Grandi Navi Veloci brand. She was built in 1989 by Schichau Seebeckwerft in Bremerhaven, West Germany as MS Olau Hollandia for Olau Line. From 1994 to 2005 she sailed as MS Pride of Le Havre for P&O ferries. From 2005 to 2017 she operated as the SNAV Sardegna between Civitavecchia, Palermo and Olbia.
The Via Mare is a ro-pax ship which is owned and operated by Baltic Scandinavian Lines.
Stena Nordica is a ro-pax ferry owned and operated by Stena Line.
MS Free Enterprise II was a cross-Channel ferry operated by Townsend Thoresen between 1965 and 1982. The ship features prominently in the comedy film San Ferry Ann. In later life as Moby Blu she served Corsica and Elba.
European Ferries Group plc was a company that operated in passenger and freight ferries, harbour operation and property management in the United Kingdom and the United States. It was taken over by the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company and renamed P&O European Ferries in 1987.
Pride of Le Havre was the name of ferry for P&O Ferries that sailed between Portsmouth and Le Havre from 1989 to 1994. From launch until 1994, she was known as the Viking Valiant for Townsend Thoresen and P&O. In 1994 she was renamed Pride of Cherbourg2 for P&O and continued under this name until she was sold to El Salam Maritime in 2002. El Salam Maritime renamed her Pride of Al Salam 1 for El Salam Maritime. In 2004 she was renamed Nador and chartered to Comanav, she was again renamed Mogador for Comanav in 2005, sailing under this name until being scrapped in 2010.
The GNV Atlas is a Peter Pan-class cruiseferry currently owned and operated by the Italian shipping company SNAV. She was launched on 28 October 1989 by Schichau Seebeckwerft in Bremerhaven, West Germany as Olau Britannia for Olau Line.
The Viking Voyager was built by Aalborg Værft AS, Denmark in 1975 for European Ferries Group Plc who traded as Townsend Thoresen. European Ferries Group was purchased by the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company and became P&O European Ferries and the ship was renamed Pride of Cherbourg in 1989.
MV Free Enterprise III was a Ro-Pax vessel built in 1966 as a cross-channel ferry, operated by Townsend Thoresen mainly on the Calais and Zeebrugge routes from Dover. She was sold to Egyptian owners in 1986 and wrecked in the Red Sea in 2004.
MS Nordic Ferry was a car ferry built in South Korea as Merzario Espania in 1978 for the Stena Container Line. She operated on Stena's Merzario Line and was renamed Merzario Hispania. Sold to European Ferries in 1980 she was jumboised and renamed Nordic Ferry before sailing on the Felixstowe–Europoort route under the Townsend Thoresen brand. She was taken up from trade by the British government in 1982 to carry troops and stores during the Falklands War, returning to commercial service later that year. She served on the Felixstowe–Zeebrugge routes after a 1986 refit, and was renamed Pride of Flanders after the Townsend Thoresen rebranding to P&O European Ferries the following year. She was sold to Stena Line in 2002 and renamed Flanders and then Stena Transporter. In 2009 she was sold to Strade Blu and renamed Strada Corsa, serving on their Livorno to Olbia route in Italian waters. Sold to Baja Ferries in 2013 and renamed La Paz Star she sailed to the Pacific and served on routes along the northern part of the Western Mexican coast. She was sold again to Medferry Shipping in 2016 and the following year returned to European waters. After a refit she served on the Rhodes to Santorini route in Greek waters. She caught fire in June 2017 and, though saved, was afterwards scrapped in Turkey under the name Star.