Safety Measures By DFDS
DFDS has created an easy-to-understand webpage about the Covid-19 prevention measures.
Danish Companies Join Forces On An Ambitious Sustainable Fuel Project
DFDS has together with Copenhagen Airports, A.P. Moller – Maersk, DSV Panalpina, SAS and Ørsted formed the first partnership of its kind to develop an industrial-scale production of sustainable fuels for road, maritime and air transport.
The joint vision is to establish one of the world’s largest electrolyser and sustainable fuel production facilities
When fully scaled-up by 2030, the project could deliver more than 250,000 tonnes of sustainable fuel for busses, trucks, maritime vessels, and airplanes every year. Production would potentially be based on a total electrolyser capacity of 1.3 gigawatts, which would likely make it one of the world’s largest facilities of its kind. The production from the fully scaled facility can reduce annual carbon emissions by 850,000 tonnes.
‘Illegal’ £35m State Aid For Ferries Faces Legal Challenge (writes The Telegraph)
CLdN is seeking a judicial review of Transport Secretary Grant Shapps’ decision to hand the £35 million to passenger operators Brittany Ferries, DFDS, Eurotunnel, P&O, Seatruck and Stena.
Reducing Energy Consumption By Retrofit
DFDS’ VICTORIA SEAWAYS and two MR tankers from Hafnia and Maersk Tankers are part of Green Ship of the Future’s Retrofit project.
Green Ship of the Future has released a report to show how retrofitting can result in significant reduction of energy consumption decreasing fuel consumption and emissions on board three vessels, including the DFDS ferry. According to the project findings, this can be achieved through technology that is available today with a return of investment of less than three years.
The report finds that VICTORIA SEAWAYS can potentially achieve up to 11.1% reduction of fuel consumption by implementing new and proven technology that is easily implemented such as new propellers and new hull coating exemplified by Hempel in this report. All the suggested solutions were calculated towards an estimated payback time of three years to show the potential of making a green investment in a manner that minimizes operational cost and improve the potential of profitability.
Ferry Shipping News already published the Preliminary Results for Q1, a few weeks ago.
The definitive results are now available on the DFDS website.
Outlook
EBITDA before special items for 2020 is likely to be reduced towards DKK 2bn. The outlook – that is significantly more uncertain than usual – builds on a number of assumptions of which key elements are freight volumes and the impact of travel restrictions on passenger route operations and volumes. The current suspension of passenger activity has a significant financial impact that may amount to up to around 60% of the potential decrease in EBITDA in 2020 compared to 2019.
DFDS Optimises Seaways Following Changes in Northern Baltic Market Conditions
The schedule on the Estonia-Sweden route (Paldiski-Kapellskär) has been improved by offering both freight customers and passengers more attractive evening departures and morning arrivals through the week. Evening departures in both directions will now be possible every day by the addition of a second vessel.
This improvement is enabled by a halving of sailings between Paldiski and Hanko (Finland) following reduced demand on this route. This allows the ropax SAILOR on the route to be deployed on both Paldiski-Hanko and Paldiski-Kapellskär. On the latter it will sail in addition to OPTIMA SEAWAYS.
In addition, a freight agreement has been entered into with Eckerö Line on the freight route between Muuga (Tallinn) and Vuosaari (Helsinki). (vessel: FINBO CARGO)
The agreement starts from the end of April 2020.
With these changes, a total of 30 departures per week between Estonia and Finland can be offered to DFDS’ customers.
A Solid DFDS Publishes Preliminary Q1 Figures
- Preliminary Q1 revenue decreased 1% to DKK 3.8bn (mainly due to drop in passenger revenue) and preliminary EBITDA before special items decreased 10% to DKK 610m.
- Around half of the decrease in EBITDA was related to lower passenger activity caused by Covid-19. The other half of the decrease was due to a negative Covid-19 impact on freight, increased earnings in the comparison period Q1 2019 from UK stockpiling ahead of Brexit and a lower result for special cargo logistics mainly due to one-off costs.
- Current key priorities are to take care of employees’ and partners’ health and well-being, to preserve jobs and to continue to provide vital ferry and logistics services for our customers as well as contributing to keeping Europe’s transport infrastructure open for business.
- DFDS has a solid financial position.
- Suspension since mid-March of two routes, Copenhagen-Oslo and Amsterdam-Newcastle, with a large overweight of passengers vs freight.
- Freight capacity reduced since end-March/beginning-April in remaining network of 20 ferry routes that predominantly carry freight. Capacity is reduced through lay-up of currently 12 of 50 ferries as well as other measures to reduce the number of sailings. All 20 routes continue to operate.
- Channel and Baltic Sea passenger activity reduced to only essential travel. Reduced number of drivers per cabin in Baltic Sea.
- Participation in government wage and fixed cost compensation programs to preserve affiliation with employees and mitigate financial impacts.
- Around 2,200 employees so far sent on paid leave within such programs in areas with reduced activity.
- Cost saving and postponement initiatives, including hiring freeze.
- Reduction of investments targeting a reduction of around 20% of the investments of DKK 2.3bn planned for 2020.
Key risks
- Reliability and continuity of operations are contingent on employee health and continued exemption of our operations from lock-down initiatives.
- Passenger earnings in the high season — June-August — are at risk.
- Lower activity in certain sectors may reduce freight volumes. The automotive sector is a key risk in this regard.
DFDS expects to publish its final Q1 statements on May 7.
In a very natural and human way he talks mainly to the DFDS people, about why the long passenger routes had to be closed down temporarily and how agreements with Governments will help to re-employ the same staff after the crisis.
The format is very simple: just talking selfie-style, as he was talking to you personally. Because of the simple way of filming and communicating one can better feel Mr. Carlsen’s emotions, making it very honest.
Fuel Cell Testing Moves Forward on ARK GERMANIA
DFDS has received funding for upgrades to ARK GERMANIA to test fuel cell technologies with partners.
Copenhagen-Oslo route suspended. PEARL SEAWAYS and CROWN SEAWAYS laid up in Copenhagen. Danish aid package for business means that crews on Pearl and Crown can be sent home with pay.
DFDS is temporarily suspending sailings on its Newcastle to Amsterdam (IJmuiden) ferry route.
The last sailings on the route before the temporary suspension will be from Amsterdam on Saturday 21 March and from Newcastle on Sunday 22 March.
Passenger capacity will be reduced to 50% on DFDS sailings from Dover to Calais and Dunkirk and Newhaven to Dieppe. There will not be a reduction in sailings, the schedules will remain the same.
DFDS stopped bookings of accompanied units and any other passengers on North Sea routes from Gothenburg to Ghent, Immingham or Zeebrugge.
Units that are normally driver accompanied can of course continue to be shipped, but only on an unaccompanied basis.