Fast cat arrives for Ro-Ro breakthrough

Norman Arrow departed Tasmania on 2 May and its journey has included calls into Fremantle (South West Australia), Port Victoria (Seychelles), transit through the Suez Canal and a final call into Valetta (Malta), from where it departed on 24 May, en route to Dover and Boulogne.

LD Lines’ Norman Arrow will be the largest ever fast ferry to operate on the cross channel routes between England and France, when it commences service on the Dover – Boulogne route.

Following the vessel’s arrival into Dover, Norman Arrow sailed to the Port of Boulogne for the first time the next day and, following a period for berthing trials and crew training, was due to commence a full schedule Dover – Boulogne service from Saturday 6 June.

The fast ferry is the world’s largest diesel-powered catamaran and will also be the first ever freight carrying high speed vessel to operate across the Dover Straits and first Incat 112m to operate in Europe.

LD Lines new Dover-Boulogne service will be greatly enhanced as the new fast ferry will increase frequency from the current two to six return sailings daily. All types of tourist traffic will be carried including cars, caravans, motorhomes, motorcycles, coaches and foot passengers, in addition to freight.

The fast ferry will operate up to four return sailings daily between Dover (Eastern Docks) and Boulogne with a crossing time of 1 hour. LD Lines will continue to operate the conventional ferry, which introduced the new Dover – Boulogne service in February 2009. Crossing time by conventional ferry is 1 hour 45 minutes.

Both vessels will initially operate into the Port of Boulogne’s existing ferry berths, but following completion of Boulogne’s new Hub Port Ro-Ro Terminal from 1 July 2009, both will then transfer to inaugurate and operate into the first linkspan of the new Hub Port Terminal.