Photo: Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue, 2003.
Due to the short distances involved, the Channel Sea is intensively serviced by ferry ships. The above ship, “The Pride of Portsmouth”, along with its sister ship “The Pride of Le Havre”, serviced the Portsmouth – Le Havre link three times per day (between 5 and 8 hours of crossing time). It can carry 1,600 passengers (crew of 180) and 575 cars (or 118 trucks) at a speed of 20 knots. It operated the service until 2005, when it was sold to SNAV, an Italian company operating ferry services to Sardinia and Sicily.