MS Anthi Marina - As Pride of Kent

As Pride of Kent

In the aftermath of the sinking of the Herald, P&O moved to change the appearance of the fleet. The Townsend red and white hull with light blue funnels was replaced with the P&O darker blue and white, and the old Townsend "Free Enterprise" names were replaced. Spirit of Free Enterprise became Pride of Kent in late 1987.

In 1991 Pride of Kent was extended in a process often known as "Jumboisation". The ship was cut in half and a new hull and superstructure section 31 metres in length was inserted amidships, raising her passenger capacity to 1,825 and her car capacity to 460. The work cost £20m and took six months.

In 1998 she was renamed P&OSL Kent following the merger of P&O European Ferries and Stena Line on the Dover–Calais route, and later "P O Kent" in August 2002 (following P&O's buyout of Stena Line's 40% share in the joint venture).

In the spring of 2003 the ship was sold by P&O after a brief lay-up period in Dunkerque. She has been replaced by another ship again named Pride of Kent, an extensive rebuild of a former freight ferry.