76 INTERIOR VIEW For the P&O Ferries brand, the new P&O Pioneer ro-pax ferry represents the future of ferry travel in the English Channel. The vessel, which is expected to enter service in 2023, is the first of two identical purpose-built Fusion-class sister ships ordered for the route between Dover, England, and Calais, France. The second ship, P&O Liberté, is expected to join service towards the end of 2023. P&O Pioneer will be both the first double-ended ferry to be deployed on English Channel services, as well as the largest in the world at the time of delivery, and the first diesel-electric hybrid ferry working on the Dover to Calais route. The double-ended design means that unlike its predecessors on the route, the ship will not need to turn 180 degrees in port, saving time and fuel. P&O Ferries claims that the vessel will consume 40 per cent less fuel than previous Dover Strait ferries. Another advantage that P&O Pioneer will offer over P&O Ferries’ current English Channel ferries is that it will have around 1,550 square metres of deck space. Meanwhile, double-height windows spanning decks eight and nine dominate the middle of the vessel, allowing passengers to take in views from inside. Other facilities onboard P&O Pioneer will include various lounges, a 588-square-metre duty-free area and engaging zones for children of all ages. Many of the areas passengers can enjoy on decks eight and nine were built by North Sea Offshore Technology (NSO), a ferry and offshore industry turnkey interior contractor headquartered in Yantai, China, that also has offices in Sweden, Estonia and Malaysia. “The people at P&O Ferries really knew what they wanted,” says Kristian Vidfar, director of NSO. “Add to this an efficient shipyard, the competent naval architects of OSK-ShipTech and the P&O Pioneer P&O Ferries’ new Fusion-class ship will enter service later this year, serving the Dover to Calais route between England and France
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