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Jun 17
6

Shore Power for the DFDS Ferries in Copenhagen

By | 2021 Newsletter week 24 | No Comments

The work to establish a shore power facility at the DFDS Seaways ferry terminal in Copenhagen is in full swing. The initiative is a joint collaboration between CMP (Copenhagen Malmö Ports) and DFDS, with the Swedish company Actemium as contractor and COWI as technical advisor.

The facility is expected to be operational in late summer 2021 and will make it possible for DFDS’ ferries CROWN SEAWAYS and PEARL SEAWAYS to significantly reduce the ships’ CO2 emissions while in port.

Read more on DFDS News
May 27
2

Ferry Shipping

By | 2021 Newsletter week 21 | No Comments

Good News for Truckers: A Ferry Departure Every 36 Minutes

DFDS and P&O Ferries have entered into a mutual space charter agreement on the Dover-Calais ferry route.

Ferry Shipping News understands this has been under consideration for a long time.

Truck drivers will be able to board the next available sailing on the Dover-Calais route, regardless of which of the two companies is operating the crossing.

It will reduce the time drivers spend waiting at the ports, giving them access to a departure every 36 minutes and reducing gate-to-gate journey times by an estimated 30 minutes.

All commercial activities and relationships with freight customers remain entirely under the control of each operator. The Dover-Calais agreement is similar to space charter agreements entered into by DFDS on routes on the North Sea, the Baltic Sea and in the Mediterranean.

The new agreement is for freight vehicles only and does not apply to sailings on the DFDS Dover-Dunkerque route

DFDS operates three ropax ferries between Dover and Calais (and 3 on Dunkerque):

  • COTE DES FLANDRES
  • COTE DES DUNES
  • CALAIS SEAWAYS (to be replaced by newbuilding COTE D’OPALE).

P&O Ferries operates five ropax ferries on Dover – Calais:

  • SPIRIT OF BRITAIN
  • SPIRIT OF FRANCE
  • PRIDE OF CANTERBURY
  • PRIDE OF KENT
  • PRIDE OF BURGUNDY

The agreement is expected to start during the summer.

The Port of Dover has welcomed the announcement “as a powerful statement of returning focus to driving the unrivalled benefits of the Dover-Calais crossing: to preserve and maximise the unique advantages of high pace, frequency and capacity provided to supply chains on the shortest sea crossing between the UK and its principal global trading partner – the EU.” [Statement Port of Dover]

May 20
2

CÔTE D’OPALE delivered to DFDS

By | 2021 Newsletter week 20 | No Comments

Ropax vessel CÔTE D’OPALE –the fifth E-Flexer vessel from the Chinese shipyard CMI Jinling (Weihai) – was delivered on 17 May 2021.

  • The 214.5m ship will become the longest ferry operating in the English Channel
  • Capacity: 3100 lane meters + 120 cars, 1000 passengers
  • Long-term chartered by DFDS for Calais-Dover
May 13
2

DFDS Q1: 2021 Off To A Good Start

By | 2021 Newsletter week 19 | No Comments
  • Fast recovery from Brexit transition
  • Mediterranean continued its progress
  • Passenger services remained restricted
  • EBITDA increased 23% to DKK 750m

Outlook 2021

  • The EBITDA outlook for 2021 was raised following stronger than expected freight results for most business units.
  • Uncertainty remains high and significant changes to outlook assumptions may still occur in the rest of the

Freight

  • During Q1 trade between the EU and UK stabilised faster than expected. Earnings in 2021 for UK-linked activities are therefore no longer expected to be below 2020.
  • The Mediterranean business unit improved earnings more than expected in Q1 and the positive earnings trend is expected to continue.
  • In the Baltic region, freight ferry capacity in the market is still expected to increase compared to 2020.
  • Irish Ferries has announced a plan to deploy ropax(es) between Dover and Calais in June 2021.

Passenger

  • The EBITDA for passenger services was reduced by around DKK 1bn in 2020 due to travel restrictions imposed to limit the spread of Covid-19. It is assumed that around 25%, compared to previously around 40%, of the decrease in 2020 is regained in 2021 as travel restrictions are now expected to be eased later in The high season for ferry travel is Q3 and the outlook is thus especially sensitive to the scope of restrictions in this quarter.

Revenue outlook

The Group’s revenue is still expected to increase by 20-25% compared to 2020. The main growth drivers are the addition of HSF Logistics Group, the opening of the new route between Ireland and France and an increase in passenger volumes.

Access the Q1 Report (PDF)
May 06
2

FERRY PORTS

By | 2021 Newsletter week 18 | No Comments

DFDS Awarded Tender To Operate New Duty-Free Shop In Calais

DFDS has since 1 January 2021, in accordance with the new Brexit trade agreement, offered duty-free sales on board its four ropax routes connecting the UK and the EU.

Following a tender, DFDS has been awarded the right to operate a new duty-free shore-based shop in the Port of Calais. The 1,000 m2 shop is expected to open in October 2021.

In the Dunkirk port terminal, operated by DFDS, a shore-based duty-free shop of 700 m2 is expected to open in July 2021. Both shops will provide convenient access for cars.

It is expected that the new shops will attract new travellers for day trips to the Hauts-de- France region once travel restrictions are eased.

DFDS expects to replace CALAIS SEAWAYS with COTE D’OPALE this summer on the Dover-Calais route. The new ferry will feature a 1,100 m2 duty-free shop.

Apr 29
2

DFDS’ 2021 Outlook Raised After Stronger Start Of The Year

By | 2021 Newsletter week 17 | No Comments
  • EBITDA outlook raised from DKK 3.0-3.5bn to DKK 3.2-3.6bn for 2021
  • Reason: stronger than expected freight results in most business units. There was as anticipated a considerable slowdown in volumes linked to the UK in January following the UK stockbuilding in Q4 2020. Since then, volumes have recovered faster than expected.
  • Uncertainty remains high and significant changes to outlook assumptions may still occur in the rest of the year.
Apr 22
2

RoRo Merry-Go-Round

By | 2021 Newsletter week 16 | No Comments

DFDS and CLdN have sold ships to each other, and chartered them back.

  • Ship: MELEQ renamed ACACIA SEAWAYS (Lithuania).
  • Ownership: from CLdN to DFDS.
  • Charter: ACACIA SEAWAYS has been chartered back for continued operation on CLdN’s Zeebrugge-Purfleet-Esbjerg route.
  • Remark: she is a sistership of GARDENIA SEAWAYS and TULIPA SEAWAYS (Vlaardingen – Felixstowe)
  • Ship: GOTHIA SEAWAYS renamed MAXINE (Isle of Man).
  • Ownership: from DFDS to CLdN.
  • Charter: MAXINE has been chartered back to DFDS for continued service in DFDS’ Baltic network during April-May and is expected to join DFDS’s new Calais – Sheerness freight-only service scheduled to commence on 1 June.
  • Remark: She is one of the 3 Wagenborg vessels which were built for the StoraEnso Zeebrugge – Göteborg service. A company within the CLdN sphere owns sister vessel SOMERSET (operated by Stena Line).
  • Ship: UNDINE renamed LIDER TRABZON.
  • Ownership: from CLdN to unknown.
Apr 15
3

DFDS Monthly: Freight Continues To Grow In March

By | 2021 Newsletter week 15 | No Comments

March 2021 (March 2020)

+11.8% freight lane metres: 3,975k (3,554k)

-77.5% passengers: 25k (112k)

Last twelve months

+0.7% freight lane metres: 41,062k (40,782k)

-79.8% passengers: 1,002k (4,963k)

  • The positive market momentum in February continued in March for the North Sea and Mediterranean volumes.
  • Volumes on the English Channel were above 2020.
  • Volumes on the new route between Ireland and France continued above expectations.
  • Baltic Sea volumes were above 2020 adjusted for the closure of the Paldiski-Hanko route.
  • The volume growth in March 2021 was boosted by Covid-19’s negative impact on volumes in the last two weeks of March 2020. This effect was largest in the Mediterranean, North Sea and Channel business units.
  • Passenger: the decrease reflects a continued negative impact from travel restrictions related to Covid-19.
Apr 08
6

DFDS Opens New Unaccompanied Freight Route Between Calais And Sheerness

By | 2021 Newsletter week 14 | No Comments

DFDS is opening a new route between Calais and Sheerness in response to increasing demand for additional ferry capacity for unaccompanied freight between France and the UK.

  • 1st departure is planned for 1 June 2021
  • 1 daily round trip operating 7/7
  • 1 roro ship: GOTHIA SEAWAYS (160 trailers)
  • Sheerness is located around 70km north of Dover and thus closer to the London area
  • Most of the unaccompanied freight carried today by DFDS ropaxes on Dover-Calais and Dover-Dunkirk, is expected to be transferred to the new route
  • In combination with the rail infrastructure in Calais, the market for rail solutions for freight from Italy, Spain and southern France to the UK is it expected to grow
  • Also: intermodal transport solution between Turkey and the UK by combining the freight ferry route to Sète with rail transport to Calais
Read more on DFDS.com
Read more on PeelPorts.com

Remarks

During Q4, 2019, P&O Ferries tried a roro service between Calais and Tilbury, with CAROLINE RUSS. The route was discontinued because of low customer demand and the impact of a French strike action.

In December 2020, P&O Ferries stopped carrying no-accompanied trucks on Calais-Dover.

Comments

Jean-Claude Charlo (MD, DFDS France) says in an interview to the newspaper Nord Littoral, the following:

  • DFDS took over a part of the unaccompanied traffic from P&O, after the latter announced to do accompanied only. End of February the DFDS Calais-Dover route carried 5,000 non-accompanied trailers (against 1200 same period last year).
  • Biggest issue was that time in port could not be increased, hence the decision to open a new roro service to Sheerness.
  • Theoretically non-accompanied could increase because of lack of drivers.
  • DFDS new E-Flexer COTE D’OPALE will have sea-trials on April 12. The interior finishing of the ship will be done in Europe.
Mar 11
11

DFDS: February Freight Up 4.5% As UK-EU Trade Begins To Stabilize

By | 2021 Newsletter week 10 | No Comments

Freight:

  • Total volumes in February 2021 were 4.5% above 2020.
  • Volumes for routes calling the UK were up 4%.
  • North Sea volumes were above 2020 driven by added capacity and continued stabilisation of trade between the UK and the EU, particularly for UK imports.
  • Lower UK exports increased the number of empty trailers coming back to the EU.
  • Volumes on the English Channel were likewise above 2020.
  • Volumes on the new route between Ireland and France continued to be ahead of expectations.
  • Baltic Sea volumes were above 2020 adjusted for the closure of the Paldiski-Hanko route. Mediterranean volumes were above 2020 in all main corridors.

Passenger:

  • Total number of passengers in February 2021 was 92% below 2020.
  • The decrease reflects a continued negative impact from travel restrictions related to Covid-19 on the two cruise ferry routes, of which Oslo-Frederikshavn-Copenhagen was suspended in February, and the Channel.
  • In the Baltic Sea, passenger numbers were somewhat below 2020.