M/S Spirit of Free Enterprise

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MS Spirit of Free Enterprise
Career
Nationality	British
Owner:
Operated By:	Townsend Thoresen (1980-1987)
Ordered:	1979
Laid down:
Floated:	1979
Named:
Maiden Voyage:	1980
Status:	Active
Fate
General Characteristics
Tonnage:	7950
Displacement:
Length:	131.91 m
Beam:	23.19 m
Draft:	5.72 m
Height:
Power:
Propulsion:
Speed:	22 knots
Passenger Capacity:	1,300
Cost:

The Spirit of Free Enterprise was the first of a class of three RORO ferries built for Townsend Thoresen in the early 1980s. Her two sister ships were the Pride of Free Enterprise and the infamous M/S Herald of Free Enterprise

Her time as the Spirit lasted until Townsend Thoresen were bought by P&O European Ferries. In the aftermath of the sinking of the Herald the TT name and colour scheme was quickly removed from the fleet and replaced with the P&O blue and white. Spirit of Free Enterprise was renamed Pride of Kent in 1987

In 1992 Pride of Kent was extended in a process often known as "Jumboisation". The ship was cut in half and a new hull and superstructure section 31 metres in length was inserted amidships, raising her passenger capacity to 1825 and her car capacity to 460. The work cost £20m and took 6 months.

As of 2006 she is named Anthi Marina and operated by GA Ferries between Piraeus, Kos and Rodos. In addition to the jumboising carried out by P&O she now has a more conventionally shaped bow in place of her original clamshell doors, and an internal ramp to enable her upper car deck to be used in ports without double-deck linkspans.