OLYMPIC gold medallist Dame Kelly Holmes has officially named the largest ferry to sail across one of the world’s busiest waterways.
The 40-year-old athlete yesterday joined 300 VIPs on board P&O Ferries’ new £152m cross- Channel ship, Spirit Of Britain, at Dover’s Eastern Docks in Kent.
The 49,000-tonne vessel can hold up to 2,000 passengers and has three vehicle decks capable of carrying nearly 2½ miles (4km) of traffic end to end.
Dame Kelly told the audience: “As a record-breaker myself, I always take a close interest in ‘firsts’, and I am pleased to note that the Spirit Of Britain sets many new records, not least for being the biggest, longest and widest ferry to operate on the Dover Strait.”
Its four German-built, seven- cylinder diesel engines generate 40,000 horse power, making it capable of travelling under its own power without tug assistance in winds of up to 50 knots.
With a length of 700ft (213m) and a width of 103ft (31.4m), it needs a unique docking arrangement at Dover and Calais to tie up.
