P&O chief executive Helen Deeble said, ‘This investment is designed to help freight customers achieve their just in time delivery schedules by boosting the P&O Short Sea fleet from six to seven ships at peak times. It will also enable us to guarantee sufficient capacity and reliability through the refit season in all sectors.

The El Greco was built to international standards under the British flag and Lloyd's Register classification and was delivered new in 2000 to Norfolk Line as the ‘Midnight Merchant’ for use on their Dover-Dunkerque route. Trasmediterranea acquired the ship a year ago.

It has a carrying capacity of 125 articulated lorries, which is comparable to P&O's other dedicated Dover-Calais freighter, the ‘European Seaway’. It can also carry in excess of 300 passengers and is equipped with passenger cabins for use during refit cover on the Irish Sea and North Sea routes.

On joining the P&O Ferries fleet the ship will be renamed the ‘European Endeavour’. It will be British flagged and will carry officers and crew on British terms and conditions of employment. Officers and crew will be recruited from within P&O's existing ferry operations and via specialist agencies.