Profits before tax for the third quarter stood at £25.5m, bringing the total pre-tax profits for the year to £32.2m.

P&O Stena Line began operations in March this year after the £400 million merger of the P&O and Stena cross-Channel business. The business is 60% owned by P7O and 40% by Stena.

4.4m passengers and 840,000 vehicles transported across the Channel

The group enjoyed a busy summer with strong business on the Dover-Calais route.

The company said it had carried 4.4m passengers and 840,000 vehicles across the Channel in the three months to September 30.

The figure cover the company's three routes Dover-Calais, Newhaven-Dieppe and Dover-Zeebrugge.

Stena Line profits down

But the economic forecast was not so good for Swedish international ferry group Stena Line which posted a 115m kronor ($14.9m) loss for the third quarter compared to a 102m kronor profit for the same period last year.

Stena Line said the result was mainly due to restructuring costs and that it expects to make a loss for the full year.