Steel twin screw motor vessel, built by Schichau Seebeckwerft AG, Bremerhaven ,(Yard No. 1073) Germany for P & O European Ferries in 1992 as a commercial vehicle ferry. Engined by Sulzer Bros. Ltd., Winterthur. Launched December 14^th, 1991.

D i m e n s i o n s / T e c h n i c a l  D a t a

MMSI Number - 233009000

IMO Number - 9015266

Length - 179.70 m (overall)

Breadth of hull - 28.30 m (extreme)

Draught - 6.27 m (maximum)

Tonnage - 22,986 gross (1991), 30,365 (2002/3)

6,895 net

7,509 deadweight

Engines - Four 8ZA 40 S Sulzer Diesels

Capacity - 200 passengers, 124 x 15m freight units (1991)

2000 passengers, 650 cars, 120 x 15m commercial vehicles (2002/3)

Call Sign - MQCJ2

Sister ships: European Seaway, European Causeway (Pride of Burgundy), European Pathway (Pride of Canterbury)

H i s t o r y / R e m a r k s 

December 14^th 1991: Launched.

June 12^th 1992: delivered to P&O European Ferries, Dover, England.

June 14^th 1992: Arrived at Dover.

 © Brian Pawley

June 16^th 1992: First voyage between Dover - Zeebrugge leaving Dover at 16:15 hours.

© Andreas Wörteler

March 10^th 1998: Taken over by P & O Stena Line and operated between Dover - Zeebrugge. P & O Stena Line was a British private sector company, 60% owned by the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company and 40% owned by Stena Line AB of Sweden. The new company took over the Dover and Newhaven services of P & O European Ferries and Stena Line.

March 3^rd 1998: All vessels operate rated under the P & OSL banner. Continued to trade as European Highway.

© Andreas Wörteler

May 14^th 1999: Commenced service between Dover - Calais.

November 199: Commenced service between Dover - Zeebrügge.

2002: The P & O Stena combine ended . The Dover-Calais fleet adopted the appropriate P & O “Pride of ….” names, the P & OSL labels being dropped….All vessels had their Stena house flag removed from their funnel, along with the deletion of the name Stena from their hulls.

October 15^th 2002: Continued under the P & O Ferries banner.

December 15^th 2002: Final voyage between Dover - Zeebrügge

Project Darwin

With the ending of the P&O Stena Line agreement it was announced by the newly formed P&O Ferries that the ex Zeebrugge freight vessels European Highway and European Pathway would be rebuilt at the German Shipyard of Lloyd Werft.

Upon completion of there rebuilds would be placed on the prime Dover-Calais service replacing the PO Kent (ex Sprit of Free Enterprise, Pride of Kent, POSL Kent) and PO Canterbury (ex Fantasia). This move became widely known by it's P&O code name, Project Darwin.

Before (above) and after (below) profiles of the project Darwin vessels (The DFP Collection)

It was anticipated that EUROPEAN PATHWAY would leave for Bremerhaven on December 1^st 2002, followed later in the month by EUROPEAN HIGHWAY

Key features of the converted ships will include:

* Passenger capacity up from 200 to 2,000

* More than 5,000 square metres of passenger accommodation

* Fifty extra crew cabins

* Better manoeuvrability

The conversion would take place at the Bremerhaven yard of Lloyd Werft. The rebuilt ferries were to enter service on the Dover-Calais route in April and May (2003).

EUROPEAN PATHWAY would re-delivered as PRIDE OF CANTERBURY at the end of April to replace the 1980-built ship of the same name while the EUROPEAN HIGHWAY was being fitted with exhaust scrubbers to reduce sulphur dioxide emissions and, after evaluation , there was scope for retro installation in PRIDE OF CANTERBURY. 

© Christian Eckardt

June 2^nd 2003: Expected at Dover but arrived on Saturday June 7^th.

May 28^th 2003: PRIDE OF KENT and PRIDE OF CANTERBURY ships were officially named in a ceremony at the new cruise terminal on Dover’s Admiralty Pier extension.

June 14^th 2003: Entered service Dover - Calais

Personal Note: 29th July 2003: At 12:16 (BST) the Pride of Kent was stopped mid channel on her way back from Calais at position 51°025N 01°359E. Senior master Captain David Miller carried out a funeral service in which the ashes of my late step father Alan Sugden were duly returned to his second home, the sea.

© Ray Goodfellow (left) and Nigel Thornton (right)

2004: At refit bridge wings upper leading edges painted white to distinguish her from her sister.

March 29^th 2005: Left Dover for refit and gearbox replacement at ARNO, Dunkerque.

May 5th 2005: Returned to service.

2006: Still in service on the Dover-Calais service.

© Ray Goodfellow

All information is believed to be correct and no responsibility is accepted for errors and omissions.

We would like to thank: Micke Asklander (Faktaomfartyg), Gary Davies (Maritime Photographic) , Andreas Wörteler, Brian Pawley, Christian Eckardt for there assistance in compiling this feature.

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