DFDS Seaways has chartered the former SeaFrance ro-pax vessel Moliere in a move it says will enhance freight and passenger services on both its Dover-Calais and Dover-Dunkirk routes.
She will be deployed on the Dover-Dunkirk route from 4 November under the new name Dieppe Seaways, primarily to provide additional freight capacity.
The ferry will operate alongside two ro-pax sister ships, the Dover Seaways and the Dunkerque Seaways, which are already in service on the route.
As a result, Delft Seaways, which is currently the third ship on the Dover-Dunkirk route, will join the Norman Spirit on the Dover-Calais route, replacing Deal Seaways which will return to her owners.
In total there will be up to 44 departures per day between Dover and France on the Channel.
Senior Vice President Carsten Jensen, head of DFDS' Channel ferry business, said: "With the deployment of Dieppe Seaways, DFDS will enhance and secure our Channel service so we and our committed crews can provide our customers with the right quality of service to meet their needs and requirements. "Our Dover-Calais route will be greatly enhanced by Delft Seaways. Her speed and large capacity will enable us to deliver the very high capacity and frequency that our customers need. Furthermore, the high quality of the ship's facilities will enable us to provide our passenger and freight drivers with a great travel experience, offering a modern, comfortable interior and a unique service.
Adding the Dieppe Seaways to the route would guarantee the regularity, efficiency and high quality service that freight customers required, he added. It also offered the option of upgrading passenger facilities in the event of increased demand for passenger capacity on the route.
The Dieppe Seaways was built at Howaldtswerke Deutsche Werft in 2002 and sailed on routes in both the Baltic and North Seas before she was deployed in 2008 on the Channel by the former SeaFrance. Since the demise of SeaFrance, the ship has been out of service. She is 203 metres long, 25 metres broad and offers a capacity of more than 1,900 lane metres of cargo, including driver facilities.
