Eight New Calls Each Week at Port of Kapellskär
On October 4, 2020, DFDS increased its ropax service between Kapellskär (Sweden) and Paldiski (Estonia) from 14 to 22 calls each week. In addition to the current vessel, SIRENA SEAWAYS, the vessel PATRIA SEAWAYS has been added to the route, resulting in an additional eight calls each week. (see also our news from last week)
Transmanche Ferries Is in Survival Mode
Interview with Jean-Claude Charlo, Managing director of DFDS in France
Route Paldiski (Estonia) – Kapellskär (Sweden)
Route Paldiski (Estonia) – Hanko (Finland) to close.
Route Karlshamn (Sweden) – Klaipeda (Lithuania)
Route Zeebrugge – Gothenburg
Since 15 September, Grimaldi Group has a daily departure on Livorno-Palermo, in both directions. A second ferry has been added.
The additional ship deployed on the route is ropax CRUISE SMERALDA (2,000 lane meters, 1,500 pax, 100 cars).
She joins ZEUS PALACE (2,000 lane meters, 1,700 pax, 100 cars).
From now on, Smyril Line’s roro AKRANES will arrive every Sunday in Vlaardingen, coming from Norway. DFDS will handle the discharging and loading of trailers, containers and machinery. Then the ship will sail back to Stavanger, Trondheim, Rørvik and Hitra.
To support the DFDS network, the departure from Vlaardingen to Felixstowe will be delayed with one hour to offer customers a connection from Norway to the UK.
The Metal Maritime union and DFDS have agreed on a negotiated solution for most employees on the two Oslo ferries. The agreement ensures that the ferries can continue to operate on this route, in spite of the Norwegian quarantine rules causing a decrease in passenger numbers. Regretfully, 26 servers will be redundant.
DFDS decided to become climate neutral by 2050 and is aiming for a relative reduction of Greenhouse Gas emissions by 25-35% (between 2019 and 2030).
Three key climate plan actions:
In 2019, the network emitted around two million tons of CO2 of which 90% was from ferries and the rest mainly from logistics operations.
Organisation Danish Shipping (Danske Rederier) has calculated that the total number of passengers for Scandlines, Fjord Line, ForSea and DFDS in June, July and August has largely been halved compared to the same period last year.
“The bad summer comes on top of a lost spring, and it would be naive to think that Danes, Germans, Swedes or Norwegians will start traveling as usual in the coming months. The situation at the borders is completely unpredictable, so the shipping companies are facing some challenging months, ”says Jacob K. Clasen, Deputy CEO.
At Scandlines, CEO Søren Poulsgaard Jensen believes that it is the border closure in particular that caused an impact.
Like other Danish ferry companies, Scandlines has used the government’s help packages to send employees home for salary compensation and help to cover fixed expenses. But the bad summer will still cost jobs in the shipping company, says Søren Poulsgaard Jensen to Søfart.
Dieppe-Newhaven Hit by Sudden English Quarantine Decision
“For the first time in the history of the route Dieppe-Newhaven, the volumes of August were lower than in July, with 1,000 less cars.”
DFDS decided to lay up one of the two ferries, and to reduce return crossings from 3 to 2.
Jean-Claude Charlo, director DFDS asks the politicians for help, on behalf of all ferry operators.
