[ 64 ] THE SHIP OF THE FUTURE P&O Pioneer, the first of P&O Ferries’ new gamechanging Fusion-class, was handed over by its Chinese builders, Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI), to its new owners on 28 February 2023. On 3 March, the 47,653 gross ton double-ended ropax ferry left its birthplace under the command of senior master Simon Moore, arriving in Dunkerque 32 days later. Despite being officially named with much fanfare in Dover on 26 July 2023, P&O Pioneer didn’t leave Guangzhou uneventfully. As Chinese tradition wants it, the 10am handover ceremony on 28 February was followed by a champagne splash and a customary Chinese dragon dance to bring good luck to the ship and its crew. A mixed P&O Ferries-Sinocrew Maritime Services delivery crew would be responsible for bringing P&O Pioneer from China to Europe. Led by long-serving P&O Ferries senior master, Simon Moore, the P&O Ferries crew comprised two captains — including Captain Moore who also acted as owner’s representative — a chief engineer, a chief officer, a second engineer, an electro-technical officer (ETO), an onboard services (OBS) manager and an IT specialist. Supplementing P&O Ferries’ eight-strong senior officers were 21 Chinese crew: three deck officers, three engineering officers, an ETO, four catering crew and stewards, along with deck and technical ratings. Although China had just abandoned key parts of its zeroCOVID-19 strategy and was slowly re-opening, nothing was left to chance as the Chinese crew boarded P&O Pioneer on 16 January. This was seven weeks prior to the start of the delivery voyage, with the time used by the Chinese delivery crew to familiarise themselves with the new ship that would be their new home-awayfrom-home for the next three months. Captain Moore is full of praise for the experienced Chinese crew. “We had been recommended Sinocrew Maritime Services as they had already delivered ferries for DFDS and several of Stena RoRo’s E-Flexerclass, including those for Brittany Ferries,” he explains. “It was an extremely professional and competent crew indeed with the ratings having a very good general grasp of English while the officers spoke English very well.” HOMEWARD BOUND With all the paperwork completed, P&O Pioneer slipped her moorings in the late afternoon of 3 March. Sailing down the Pearl River, P&O Ferries’ new flagship then turned into the South China Sea. With a 30-knot following wind from the northeast, the ship gently rolled on its way to Singapore which it reached on 7 March. Midway, the world’s largest double-ended ferry made a 180° turn “ Midway, the world’s largest double-ended ferry made a 180° turn as the Calais-end bridge was swapped for the Dover-end bridge, a pattern that would be repeated throughout the delivery voyage” Cruising the Malacca Straits
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