The ferry company's six ships on the English Channel have now carried more than 100,000 freight vehicles in every month since May 2015 - a period of thirteen consecutive months.

P&O Ferries has never before consistently exceeded the 100,000 vehicles mark - the benchmark figure for high monthly demand on the English Channel - for this length of time. The previous record was seven consecutive months between January and July 2012.

Janette Bell, Chief Commercial Officer at P&O Ferries, said: "These figures illustrate that demand on the English Channel continues to be robust, with our ferry services providing a vital link in the supply chain between Britain and France on which hundreds of thousands of businesses depend."

"We have made it a priority to minimize dwell times for our customers and have put a freight-only vessel back into operation to provide extra trips when needed." "Our objective is to give all our customers the lowest possible waiting times. Freight customers work on very low margins in a highly competitive industry and it costs them money when drivers and equipment stand idle unnecessarily."

In 2015, P&O Ferries carried more freight across the English Channel than in any previous year since 2003. The company's ships transported 1.34 million units of freight during the 12-month period - an increase of 22 per cent year on year.

Earlier this year, P&O Ferries also reached agreement with VIIA to provide transport to Britain for unaccompanied freight arriving on a new train service between Le Boulou and Calais. This new intermodal service is operating on a daily basis and providing a direct trailer link to the UK for exporters in France and Spain.