Anti-pirate razor wire removed as Condor ferry is prepared

The £50m. Austal 102 arrived in Poole on Boxing Day after its 22-day journey from the Philippines, which took the 102m vessel across the Indian Ocean, through the Suez Canal and Mediterranean, up the Bay of Biscay and into the English Channel.

Condor executive director of operations Captain Fran Collins, pictured, who coordinated its voyage, was delighted.

'We were waiting on the berth and we just saw its bow coming round the corner,' she said. 'It was a very special moment.'

She said that other than predicting the weather and arranging refuelling points, part of the preparations for the voyage included getting the vessel ready to fend off any attacks by pirates as it went through waters with 'heightened security risk' around Somalia.

'We had hosepipes and razor wire – there are limited places where you can actually board – and extra lookouts,' said Capt. Collins.

'The beauty of this ship is that it's so fast that putting it in top speed makes it very difficult to board. We also joined official convoys,' she said.

'We were a little nervous, but we were reassured that the vessel is easy to defend – but you always think "what if?".

'The crew had very good briefings before they left.'

She added that, fortunately, the voyage had been very quiet, with not even a report of pirate activity during the journey.