Dame Kelly to name new cross-channel ferry

Double Olympic gold medallist Dame Kelly Holmes is to name a new ferry, it has been announced. Holmes, who won both the 800m and 1500m events at the 2004 games in Athens, will name P&O Ferries’ new 49,000-tonne vessel Olympic Spirit in January 2011. The 699ft (213m) ferry will become the largest ship to operate on the Dover-Calais route when it comes into service at the end of the year. A sister ship, the Olympic Pride, will be unveiled in the autumn of 2011. The two vessels are currently being built at Rauma in Finland at a cost of about £330 million.