Hoverspeed

Hoverspeed rules the waves with its superb fleet of seacat and superseacat fast ferries, giving you a journey that is all about speed, style and service.

There's no faster sea crossing to France with services from Dover to Calais and from Newhaven to Dieppe. The Company carries around 2.5 million passengers and over 500,000 vehicles across the Channel to Europe each year.

Hoverspeed operates a unique fleet of high-speed catamaran and monohull car ferries. In 2003 Hoverspeed operates a fleet of three Seacat catamarans on the prime Dover - Calais route, crossing in just under one hour with up to 15 daily departures during the peak season.

Hoverspeed is also the only high-speed operator from Newhaven to Dieppe. The Company reinstated this popular direct link to Normandy in April 1999. Hoverspeed will operate a Superseacat monohull high speed ferry with a crossing time of around two hours, with up to three return sailings operating daily in the peak period.

Hoverspeed was created on the 25 October 1981 with the merger of two Cross-Channel operators - Seaspeed, which operated services from Dover to Calais and Boulogne, and Hoverlloyd, which operated from Pegwell Bay near Ramsgate to Calais.

The Company's history is closely linked with the development of commercial hovercraft, operated by the Company up to the year 2000.

The merged Company initially operated a fleet of six hovercraft on services to Calais and Boulogne from Dover.

In June 1986, Hoverspeed was bought by Sea Containers Ltd.

In 1990, Hoverspeed pioneered operations of the world's first vehicle-carrying catamaran, the Seacat, Hoverspeed Great Britain. The company also pioneered operation of the Superseacat, the largest monohull fast car ferry to operate in UK waters, which commenced operation between Newhaven and Dieppe in 1999. Today, Hoverspeed operates a fleet of high-speed catamarans and monohull Superseacats on Cross Channel services to France.