This is very sad news indeed, it is a very enjoyable trip and she is a nice vessel despite her age.
Why P&O say this service is not viable is beyond me as Kelvin points out other ferry operators seem to be doing just fine from Portsmouth.
As for P&O well this is just one more step to the name disappearing, I joined the company in the early nineties and at that time they had fingers in lots of pies, with companies such as Bovis Homes, Ferrymasters, and of course the various shipping interests ie tankers, bulk shipping, ferries, containers & port operations.
Now the P&O name is nothing more than a brand name for the Carnival Group and an increasingly shrinking ferry operator.
The shareholders have no doubt done very well with the group being dismantled from within over the years, the P&ONedlloyd division for example was just turning the corner when the directors sold out to Maersk. Iam a shreholder myself but i am saddened every time i read another story about P&O as I would very much prefer to have seen the company go from strength to strength and be the last great british shipping company.
I will be sure to take another trip on her before the service ends and I will be raising a glass in the bar to the P&O name.
Andrew
