P&O Ferries has forked out millions of pounds on two new hybrid ships which cannot currently be charged at the docks in Dover.

But the company says its two new ships, costing £230m, will still be able to run and will save 40% in fuel.

This is because the diesel generators will charge the batteries, in the same way non plug-in hybrid cars work.

It comes as The Telegraph reported that the new ships, named Pioneer and Liberte, cannot be plugged into the electricity grid in Dover or Calais.

After announcing the order in 2020, P&O said the ships would cut fuel use by 40% "through a combination of fuel and battery propulsion".

Built by Guangzhou Shipyard in China, P&O also claimed the ship is designed with the capacity to be carbon neutral in the future on the twin assumptions that there are more electric shore charging stations in ports and batteries.

The two ships will replace P&O’s older fleet and are double-headed, saving time when loading and unloading by virtue of not having to turn around in port.

Senior port officials said Dover does not currently have the network capacity to recharge the ferry batteries and meet its other electricity needs, The Telegraph reported.

And a P&O Ferries spokesman told KentOnline that although neither port presently has charging facilities, this is not required for the battery to operate effectively and drive emissions savings.

The spokesman said: “Firstly, in sea trials the new ship is on course to exceed its 40% fuel saving target. This is a direct consequence of the fact that the double-ended design means we do not have to turn the vessel around in port and therefore we can sail more slowly while still sailing to schedule.

“Secondly, on average the battery will be providing in the region of 40% of the ship’s power per sailing. We are of course aware that neither port presently has charging facilities but this is not required for the battery to operate effectively and drive emissions savings.

"Thirdly, we have a longstanding and regular dialogue with the ports at both Dover and Calais about how our new ships can play their part in making the English Channel one of the most sustainable shipping lanes in the world."

The prospect of more efficient sailings has led to industry speculation that P&O is preparing to announce a fresh wave of job cuts.

However, the company said this weekend it was “categorically false” to suggest that the new ships would lead to any redundancies.

A P&O spokesman told The Telegraph: “It is categorically false to suggest that any part of our business is for sale and no meetings have been called in relation to such. We are 100% focused on making P&O Ferries the best ferry company in Europe, with the best ships on the best routes.”

The travel company also insisted that towing on-board electric batteries across the English Channel would not result in a larger carbon footprint.

Doug Bannister, the Port of Dover CEO, said: “We are looking forward to welcoming the new P&O hybrid ferries this year as part of our work to place Dover at the vanguard of decarbonisation within the UK ports industry.

"We launched our Targeting Our Sustainable Future programme in 2022 and are on track to achieve net-zero carbon emissions (Scope 1 and 2) by 2025.

"Whilst it has long been known that charging infrastructure is still some way into the future, the new vessels will already deliver a positive step and we have been planning for their arrival for over a year.

“We continue to work together with our consortium of ferry operators, including P&O Ferries, academic and energy industry partners to support the transition to zero-emission vessels and our ambition of a green shipping corridor between the UK and France.

"This is not a quick fix due to the energy infrastructure challenges facing ports up and down the country, but our work, supported by the Department for Transport’s Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition funding, is helping the port system understand and develop the energy infrastructure required to supply the transition as we actively pursue our ambitious target to become the world's first high volume green shipping corridor.”

P&O sparked nationwide outrage a year ago by sacking hundreds of seafarers - some via video message - and replacing them with cheaper overseas agency crews.

It has recently launched the next phase of its restructuring plan by offloading services on Irish Sea routes through an operational sharing agreement with Danish rival DFDS.