April 13th 2004: SAMSUNG 1574 October 24th 2005: MAERSK DOVER June 23rd 2006: Delivered and left Samsung HI on 21/06/06. “Below is the sailing schedule for the Maersk Dover's delivery. She'll be in Dover for about a week getting her Passenger certificate , no ceremony or anything before she's on the run. Once she's on the run, the Dunkerque will have a week on the wall for maintenance, followed by the Delft, then I imagine the Midnight will go to Dunkerque East for painting/de-storing before heading down to the Med to join the rest of the clan in Palma.” BUSAN: Dep 21-Jun-2006, SINGAPORE: Dep 28-Jun-2006, SALALAH (OMAN): Dep 04-Jul-2006
via Suez, ALGECIRAS (SPAIN): (could be Gib, they've not decided yet) Dep 13-Jul-2006, DOVER STRAIT (UNITED KINGDOM): Arr: 16-Jul-2006
July 13th 2006 (20.54 hrs): Arrived Gibraltar from Suez. Bunkered and crew change.
July 14th 2006 (03.31 hrs): Departed Gibraltar bound for Dover.
 
© Ray Goodfellow
July 17th 2006: Arrived at Dover then conducted berthing trials (bow in) at berth 3
  
© Nigel Thornton (left) and © Stéphane Poulain (middle and right)
July 23rd 2006: Inaugural sailing to Dunkerque. July 28th 2006: All 3 sisters running from 1200 today MAERSK DOVER is 0200 / 0800 / 1400 / 2000 ex Dover this week ships switch to next schedule every 3 weeks.
 
© Gary Davies (Maritime Photographic)
October 17th 2006: Maersk Dover is under investigation by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch for a close quarters situation between the tanker Mv Apollonia and the containership Maersk Vancouver. December 2nd 2006: Officially named by the wife of the Minister for Transport, Dr Stephen Ladyman MP. The ceremony took place at the Dover cruise terminal.
  
Official naming ceremony at the Dover cruise terminal 2/12/2006 © Nigel Thornton
31st January 2007: Brief visit to ARNO dry dock facility in Dunkerque, France for a brief overhaul and a repaint of her boot topping to bring her in line with her sister vessels.
 
© Robert Fournier
February 2007: Back in service on the Dover-Dunkerque route for Norfolk Line 19th June 2007: Entered the ARNO shipyard at Dunkerque for her annual hull inspection.
 
High and dry in the ARNO drydock © Robert Fournier
  
  
Maersk Dover and Pride of Dover at ARNO Dunkerque. Pictures courtesy of Ed Connell (Ships in the Port of Dover)
24th June 2007: Re-entered service for Norfolk Line between Dover and Dunkerque.
 
© Nigel Thornton
January 31st 2008: Entered ARNO, Dunkerque for refit
09/02/08 © Robert Fournier
February 10th 2008: Anticipated completion of refit and departure from ARNO. February 10th 2008: Left ARNO. February 11th 2008: Resumed service sporting the new Norfolk Line . com livery. March 2008: Passenger certificate raised to 1000. January 21st 2009: To ARNO Dunkerque for refit. January 28th 2009: Returned to service. 17th December 2009: Following months of speculation it's announced that DFDS A/S has acquired Norfolkline from A. P. Moller - Maersk for EUR 346 million subject to regulatory approval. January 16th - January 22nd 2010: Refit at ARNO, Dunkerque. January 23rd 2010: Resumed service. 17th June 2010: DFDS' acquisition of Norfolk Line is approved by the European Commission.
Rebranding of the Maersk Dover underway 4/07/10 © Ed Connell (Ships in the Port of Dover)
July 3rd 2010: Re-branding commenced. The shipping side will be known as DFDS Seaways and the trailer business will become DFDS Logistics. The ships will have a dark blue hull with DFDS Seaways emblazoned on the side, white superstructure, and a dark blue funnel with the DFDS white Maltese Cross in a circle. The ships will be renamed DUNKERQUE SEAWAYS, DELFT SEAWAYS and DOVER SEAWAYS in due course.
 
© Andreas Wörteler
27th July 2010: Renamed `Dover Seaways' whilst alongside in Dunkerque.
© Ed Connell (Ships in the Port of Dover)
14th August 2010: DFDS Funnel markings applied in Dunkerque. | 
Technical Data
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