P&O Pioneer, the world’s largest double ended hybrid ferry

Delivered to P&O Ferries earlier this year, the Fusion Class passenger/vehicle ferry P&O Pioneer is being promoted by her owners as the first double ended ferry to operate across the English Channel and the world’s largest double ended hybrid ferry. Such claims generate interest here in British Columbia given that BC Ferries operates several double ended ferries on it’s services between Vancouver, Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast.

Built by Guangzhou Shipyard, PRC and delivered in February 2023

Owned and operated by P&O Ferries UK

LOA 230.5m

Beam 30.5m

GRT 47,394

Propulsion: 4 x Wartsila 16v31 diesel engines with 8MWh battery

4 x 7.5 MW ABB DO1600 Azipods

Service speed 20.8 knots

Capacity for 1,500 passengers and 3,600 lane metres for vehicles

Registered in Cyprus

Cost USD 165,000,000

Sister ship (to enter service in early 2024) P&O Liberte

 

The new ferries are designed for the Dover to Calais route with propulsion dependent on a combination of fuel and battery power. The hybrid system allows the vessels to operate from an Energy Storage System while manoeuvring or in port and is designed to have the capacity to become fully carbon neutral in the future. There are 4 battery rooms equipped with a total of 1,160 large-capacity batteries having a capacity of 8.8MWh.

 

P&O Ferries operates a fleet of more than 20 ships and carries 10 million passengers a year on more than 30,000 sailings. In addition to sailing on eight major routes including England to France, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Holland, the company operates intermodal continental hubs at Zeebrugge and Europort through the company’s logistics division, P&O Ferrymasters. Today, the company is owned by Dubai based DP World and in March 2022 was involved in a major labour dispute following the dismissal of 800 UK based staff in favour of East European based agency replacements – reportedly at half the cost.