P&O Ferries has taken delivery of its new 180euro million (US$235m) ship Spirit of Britain from the STX Europe shipyard in Rauma, Finland.

The 49,000-tonne ship, which is 213 metres in length, will ply P&O's Dover-Calais route, the largest ever vessel built to operate the service.

Spirit of Britain followed a route cleared by icebreakers to Dover, where it is due to arrive on Sunday. It will enter service on 21 January.

The vessel is the first of a pair of new ships coming into service for P&O Ferries on the Dover-Calais route this year, with sister ship Spirit of France due for delivery in September.

The 360euro million investment in the two ships represents the largest ever made by P&O Ferries.

The new ships will replace the Pride of Dover and Pride of Calais on the route. P&O also has options on two more vessels of the same design.

The impact of the new larger vessels will be closely watched by the industry, as Dover Strait operators have been hit by a price war over the past 12 months.