MS Pride of Calais

MS Pride of Calais was a cross channel ferry owned and operated by P&O Ferries. She operated the Dover–Calais route between 1987 and 2012. In early 2013, under bareboat charter to Transeuropa Ferries, she served on their Ramsgate–Ostend route and was re named MS Ostend Spirit. After further lay up in the Port of Tilbury, she was sold for scrap and finally beached at a salvage yard in Turkey on 13 November 2013.

Pride of Calais and were an evolution of Townsend Thoresen's 'Spirit Class', built in the same German shipyard. They were so large that their hulls were actually put together at a different shipyard to that of the construction. This was because the contract winner, Schichau Unterweser, could not fit the hull of the vessels on their slipway. They were instead constructed in sections in Bremerhaven and towed down the River Weser by Barge to Bremer Vulcan. Pride of Calais, unlike Pride of Dover, was largely complete when she was launched at Bremer Vulcan before being towed to Schichau Unterweser for fitting out. They had increased space for vehicles and passengers to meet increased demand and could carry 650 cars, 100 15m freight vehicles and 2290 passengers.

MS Pride of Calais was built in 1987 for Townsend Thoresen and launched on 11 April of that same year. At the time, they were the biggest ferries to serve the Dover Calais route. She and her sister ship were very successful, carrying more passengers across the Channel than any other previous ship. Pride of Calais was the first vessel to appear in the livery of the new company, P&O European Ferries (Dover) Limited,

After 20 years' service, P&O introduced new, larger vessels on the Dover Calais route. The first to arrive was , displacing Pride of Calais sister ship, Pride of Dover which left service on 15 December 2010 to be laid up at Tilbury. She was sold and departed in tow for Turkey on 29 November 2012. With the arrival of , Pride of Calais left service on 9 February 2012 to be laid up in Tilbury. She sailed from Tilbury on 30 October 2013 for Aliaga where she was beached under power on 13 November 2013 at Aliaga ship demolishing yards in Turkey to be broken up.

Pride of Calais and her sister served on the Dover Calais route from 1987 for over two decades. During French labour disputes, she sailed to Zeebrugge. From 2012, she was primarily a freight ferry on the route before being retired in October 2012 and placed in layup at Tilbury. For a few weeks she sat with her sister, for the final time. Between February and April 2013, she operated as Ostend Spirit under bareboat charter to Transeuropa Ferries, she served on the Ramsgate Ostend route before returning to P&O and laid up again in Tilbury.

The Pride of Calais was scrapped at Aliağa, Turkey, being beached under power on 13 November 2013.