The "European Seaway" was built as part of an order for four new freight ferries for the four hour Dover to Zeebrugge crossing in the early 1990's. Over double the size of the ships being replaced and a step up in terms of onboard facilities the design has stood the test of time. Onboard very little has changed over the years, however the cabins that were installed for freight drivers are now used by the crew for living onboard the ship as they are no longer needed on the 90 minute shuttle service to Calais and a handful of the cabins have had the bunks removed and converted to individual shower rooms. The design, compared to her fleet mates on the Dover to Calais route, may seem basic but the 'Seaway' as she is known really is very comfortable.

The original order with the shipyard was for four identical ferries to be named: "European Seaway", "European Highway", "European Pathway" and "European Causeway". During the construction of the "European Causeway" the design was seriously amended and the ship emerged as a full passenger ferry named "Pride of Burgundy".

More recently the other two freighters were also converted to full passenger ferries when the Dover to Zeebrugge route closed in 2003. These now sail as the "Pride of Kent" and "Pride of Canterbury". All the sisters were back serving side by side in 2005 operating between Dover and Calais, to look at there are several similar features. However now the "European Seaway" is the only one of the four ships operating as designed and built.