DFDS Seaways

DFDS Seaways is a Danish shipping company that operates passenger and freight services across northern Europe. Following the acquisition of Norfolkline in 2010, DFDS restructured its other shipping divisions (DFDS Tor Line and DFDS Lisco) into the previously passenger-only operation of DFDS Seaways.

DFDS Seaways

Industry	Freight Transportation Passenger/Car Transportation
Genre	Ferry Company
Predecessor	DFDS Tor Line DFDS Lisco Scandinavian Seaways Norfolkline
Headquarters	Copenhagen, Denmark
Area served	Baltic Sea English Channel North Sea
Parent	DFDS
Divisions	DFDS Seaways France
Website	www.dfds.com

Crown Seaways departing Oslo

King Seaways in IJmuiden

Ark Germania seen at the shipyard now serves on the Esbjerg route

History

DFDS Seaways renewed its fleet in 2006, purchasing MS King of Scandinavia and MS Princess of Norway to replace the last ships still in service that dated from the 1970s. The company has acquired a reputation for purchasing used ships, as well as for taking over the build contracts or taking delivery of newbuilds originally ordered by other companies. The last time DFDS Seaways ordered a newbuild of its own was in 1978. DFDS Seaways stopped serving Sweden in 2006, when MS Princess of Scandinavia was taken out of service and the Copenhagen–Oslo service stopped calling at Helsingborg. In May 2008, DFDS made public its plan to close down the loss-making United Kingdom–Norway service on 1 September 2008.^[1][2] MS Queen of Scandinavia, the ship that was used in the service, has since been chartered to St Peter Line.

In July 2010, DFDS acquired Norfolkline from Maersk. The Norfolkline routes and vessels were integrated into DFDS Seaways. DFDS Seaways now had the Dover–Dunkirk route, and launched the new Dover–Calais route in February 2012.

DFDS announced in 2015 that it had unveiled a new logo, which saw 'DFDS' in a new font, and the logo with the white Maltese cross losing its outer circle; it announced furthermore that the DFDS Seaways subsidiary would be shortened to just 'DFDS' carrying a dark blue hull in the same font instead of the traditional light blue hull, and a Maltese cross with a circle. The first vessels to receive the new livery—and the new name scheme that would eventually be rolled out throughout the whole fleet—were the former MyFerryLink ferries Rodin (soon to become Cote des Dunes) and the Berlioz (soon to become the Cote des Flandres). All the fleet were to lose the 'Seaways' suffix from their names, and would instead receive local preference names.^{[needs update]}.

In 2018, DFDS ordered three RoPax newbuild vessels - one was an E-Flexer on charter from Stena RoRo which entered service as the Côte d'Opale in August 2021,^[3] and two RoPaxes for Baltic Sea operations.^[4] The first of the Baltic twins, named Aura Seaways,^[5] was launched in late 2020,^[6] and had an inclination test in 2021.^[7] The sea trials took place in the middle of 2021. Now 2 new ferries "Aura Seaways" and " Luna Seaways" cruise Klaipėda - Karlshamn line.

In September 2019, DFDS had announced that it would add two new ships, the MS Moby Wonder and MS Moby Aki, to the Newcastle–IJmuiden route in early 2020. The former ships, the MS King Seaways and MS Princess Seaways, would in turn have been sold to Moby Lines.^[8] This plan was later abandoned in October 2019 due to Moby Lines being unable to commit to the delivery of the ships with ongoing financial issues over vessel mortgages. ^[9]

Routes

DFDS Seaways operates twenty routes across the North Sea and Baltic Sea and one route between France to Republic of Ireland.

Passenger and freight

• Dover–Calais
• Dover–Dunkirk
• Dunkirk-Rosslare^[10]
• Newhaven–Dieppe
• Newcastle–IJmuiden
• Copenhagen–Frederikshavn-Oslo
• Klaipėda–Kiel
• Klaipėda–Karlshamn
• Paldiski–Kapellskär

Freight-only routes

• Brevik–Ghent
• Brevik–Immingham
• Cuxhaven–Immingham
• Esbjerg–Immingham
• Gothenburg–Ghent
• Gothenburg–Immingham
• Gothenburg–Tilbury
• Gothenburg – Zeebrugge
• Klaipėda–Køge–Fredericia
• Marseille–Tunis
• Tilbury–Calais
• Vlaardingen–Felixstowe
• Vlaardingen–Immingham

Fleet

DFDS Seaways operates a large fleet of Ro-Ro, Ro-Pax and Cruise ferries. Following restructuring in 2010, all shipping activities (including those of DFDS Tor Line and DFDS Lisco) were rebranded as DFDS Seaways.

Current fleet

Ship	Type	Built	Entered service	Route	Tonnage	Flag	IMO number	Notes	Image
MS Crown Seaways	Cruiseferry	1994	1994	Copenhagen–Frederikshavn–Oslo	35,498 GT	Denmark	8917613
MS Pearl Seaways	Cruiseferry	1989	2001	Copenhagen–Frederikshavn–Oslo	40,022 GT	Denmark	8701674
MS Princess Seaways	Cruiseferry	1986	2006	IJmuiden–Newcastle	31,360 GT	Denmark	8502391
MS King Seaways	Cruiseferry	1987	2006	IJmuiden–Newcastle	31,395 GT	Denmark	8502406
MS Patria Seaways	Cruiseferry	1992	2004	?	18,332 GT	Lithuania	8917390
MS Sirena Seaways	Cruiseferry	2002	2013	Paldiski–Kapellskär	22,382 GT	Lithuania	9212163
MS Optima Seaways	Cruiseferry	1999	2010	Dunkerque–Rosslare	25,206 GT	Lithuania	9188427
MS Victoria Seaways	Cruiseferry	2009	2010	Klaipėda–Kiel	25,518 GT	Lithuania	9350721
MS Athena Seaways	Cruiseferry	2007	2013	Klaipėda–Kiel	24,950 GT	Lithuania	9350680
MS Aura Seaways	Cruiseferry	2021	2021/2022	Klaipėda–Karlshamn	56,043 GT	Denmark	9851036
MS Luna Seaways	Cruiseferry	2021	2021/2022	Klaipėda–Karlshamn	56,043 GT	Denmark	9851048
MS Regina Seaways	Cruiseferry	2010	2011	Dunkerque–Rosslare	25,518 GT	Lithuania	9458535
DFDS Seaways France
MS Delft Seaways	Cruiseferry	2006	2010	Dover–Dunkerque	35,923 GT	Great Britain	9293088
MS Dover Seaways	Roll-on/roll-off ferry	2006	2010	Dover–Dunkerque	35,923 GT	Great Britain	9318345
MS Dunkerque Seaways	Roll-on/roll-off ferry	2005	2010	Dover–Dunkerque	35,923 GT	Great Britain	9293076
MS Côte des Dunes	Roll-on/roll-off ferry	2001	2016	Dover–Calais	33,796 GT	France	9232527
MS Côte des Flandres	Roll-on/roll-off ferry	2005	2016	Dover–Calais	33,796 GT	France	9305843
MS Côte d'Opale	Roll-on/roll-off ferry	2020	2021	Dover–Calais	40,331 GT	France	9858321
MS Côte D'Albâtre	Roll-on/roll-off ferry	2005	2006	Dieppe–Newhaven	18,564 GT	France	9320128
MS Seven Sisters	Roll-on/roll-off ferry	2006	2006	Dieppe–Newhaven	18,564 GT	France	9320130
Freight vessels
Britannia Seaways	Ro-Ro	2000	2011	Felixstowe–Rotterdam	24,196 GT	Denmark	9153032
Ficaria Seaways	Roll-on/roll-off cargo vessel	2006	2010	Göteborg - Immingham - Brevik	32,289 GT	Denmark	9320568
Magnolia Seaways	Roll-on/roll-off cargo vessel	2003	2010	Immingham - Esbjerg	32,400 GT	Denmark	9259496
Petunia Seaways	Roll-on/roll-off cargo vessel	2003	2010	Immingham - Esbjerg	32,289 GT	Denmark	9259501
Primula Seaways	Roll-on/roll-off cargo vessel	2003	2010	Göteborg - Ghent - Brevik	32,400 GT	Denmark	9259513
Selandia Seaways	Roll-on/roll-off cargo vessel	1998	2010	Cuxhaven - Immingham	24,196 GT	Denmark	9157284
Begonia Seaways	Roll-on/roll-off cargo vessel	2004	2010	Göteborg - Immingham - Brevik	32,289 GT	Denmark	9262089
Botnia Seaways	Roll-on/roll-off cargo vessel	2000	2010	Sheerness–Calais	11,530 GT	Lithuania	9192129
Finlandia Seaways	Roll-on/roll-off cargo vessel	2000	2010	?	11,530 GT	Denmark	9198721
Freesia Seaways	Roll-on/roll-off cargo vessel	2004	2010	Göteborg - Ghent - Brevik	32,289 GT	Denmark	9274848
Suecia Seaways	Roll-on/roll-off cargo vessel	1999	1999	Felixstowe - Vlaardingen	24,196 GT	Denmark	9153020
Gallipoli Seaways	Roll-on/roll-off cargo vessel	2001	2019	Trieste - Bari - Yalova	26,469 GT	Turkey	9215476
UND Birlik	Roll-on/roll-off cargo vessel	2002	2019		26,469 GT	Turkey
UND Atilim	Roll-on/roll-off cargo vessel	2002	2019		26,469 GT	Turkey
UN Pendik	Roll-on/roll-off cargo vessel	2005	2019		26,469 GT	Turkey
UN Trieste	Roll-on/roll-off cargo vessel	2006	2019		26,469 GT	Turkey
Saffet Ullusoy	Roll-on/roll-off cargo vessel	2005	2019		26,469 GT	Turkey
UN Marmara	Roll-on/roll-off cargo vessel	2005	2019		26,469 GT	Turkey
UN Akdeniz	Roll-on/roll-off cargo vessel	2008	2019		26,469 GT	Turkey
Sumela Seaways	Roll-on/roll-off cargo vessel	2008	2019		26,469 GT	Turkey
Myra Seaways	Roll-on/roll-off cargo vessel	2009	2019		26,469 GT	Turkey
Cemil Bayülgen	Roll-on/roll-off cargo vessel	2010	2019	Sète - Yalova	26,469 GT	Turkey	9422134
UN Istanbul	Roll-on/roll-off cargo vessel	2013	2019	Trieste - Pendik	26,469 GT	Turkey	9506277
Ephesus Seaways	Roll-on/roll-off cargo vessel	2019	2019	Trieste - Pendik	26,469 GT	Turkey	9816830
Troy Seaways	Roll-on/roll-off cargo vessel	2019	2019	Trieste - Pendik	26,469 GT	Turkey	9816842

Former ships

Ship	In service	Tonnage	Status
MS Skipper Clement	1964–1976	2,964 GRT	Scrapped 2010.
MS Akershus	1965–1973	5,012 GRT	Burnt and sunk 1989.
MS Winston Churchill	1967–1996	8,657 GRT	Scrapped 2004.
MS Kong Olav V	1968–1984	7,965 GRT	Burnt 1993, later scrapped.
MS Prinsesse Margrethe	1968–1983	7,965 GRT	Scrapped 2005.
MS Aalborgshus MS Dana Sirena MS Dana Corona	1969–1971 1971–1978 1978–1985	7,697 GRT 7,988 GRT	Scrapped in China, 2000.
MS Trekroner MS Dana Corona MS Dana Sirena	1970–1971 1971–1979 1979–1983	7,692 GRT	Sunk 1994.
MS Dana Regina	1974–1990	10,002 GRT	Since 1998 MS Vana Tallinn with Tallink. The ship was scrapped at Aliga, Turkey in 2014.
MS Dana Anglia MS Duke of Scandinavia	1978–2002 2002–2006	14,399 GRT 15,589 GT	Since 2009 MS Moby Corse with Moby Lines.
MS Dana Gloria MS King of Scandinavia	1981–1984, 1986–1989 1989–1994	12,348 GRT>20,581 GT	2006-2017 MS Jupiter for Royal Group Ltd. Sunk 2017.
MS Tor Scandinavia MS Princess of Scandinavia	1981–1991 1991–2006	15,673 GRT 21,545 GT	Since 2006 MS Moby Otta with Moby Lines.
MS Scandinavia	1982–1985	26,747 GT	Since 2002 MS Island Escape with Island Cruises.
MS Tor Britannia MS Prince of Scandinavia	1982–1990 1990–2003	14,905 GRT 21,545 GT	Since 2003 MS Moby Drea with Moby Lines.
MS Hamburg MS Admiral of Scandinavia	1987–1997 1997–2002	19,292 GT	Originally MS Kronprins Harald with Jahre Line (1976-1987); Since 2002 MS Caribbean Express with Access Ferries; Scrapped 2011 in India.
MS Duchess of Scandinavia	2003–2005	16,794 GT	From 2008 to 2014 MS Bergensfjord with Fjord Line. To be renamed Oslofjord 2014.
MS Dieppe Seaways	2012–2014	29,800 GT	Sold to Stena Line in Nov 2014. Renamed MS Stena Superfast X. Entered Service 09/03/2015.
MS Calais Seaways	2013-2021	28,883 GT	Sold to Irish Ferries in November 2021. Renamed Isle of Innisfree.

Accidents and incidents

Victoria Seaways 2013 fire

On 23 April 2013, Victoria Seaways caught fire whilst on passage between Kiel, Germany and Klaipeda in Lithuania. The fire was discovered on the main vehicle deck at around midnight on the 22/23 April. The ship's fire-extinguishing system took control of the fire quickly, and passengers were sent to muster stations whilst the fire was put out. The ship continued to Klaipeda shortly after. The cause of the incident is unknown.^[11]

Sirena Seaways 2013 dock collision

On 22 June 2013, Sirena Seaways, with 489 passengers on board, collided with the dockside at Harwich, Essex. The incident caused damage to the dockside, the loading ramp and the ship, resulting in the vessel taking on water. The crew blocked the opening from inside and the watertight compartments were used to prevent the ship from capsizing. The Harwich RNLI lifeboat, Walton Coastguard rescue team and an RAF search and rescue helicopter from Wattisham Airfield responded to the incident, along with a number of other vessels nearby. The ferry was brought alongside at 14:45 and the passengers were disembarked. The cause of the collision is unknown.^[12]

Britannia Seaways 2013 fire

On Saturday 16 November 2013, Britannia Seaways caught fire in the North Sea, trapping 32 crew on board. Helicopters despatched from Norway were unable to take the crew off the ship, owing to bad weather conditions. The fire began in a container on one of the upper decks, and was extinguished 13 hours after it broke out. The ship was carrying military equipment to Norway for a military exercise, and reached Bergen a few days later. No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is unknown and under investigation.^[13]

Corona Seaways 2013 fire

On 4 December 2013, at 02:30, Corona Seaways caught fire whilst the vessel was travelling from Fredericia to Copenhagen. The fire broke out in the main closed deck, and was briefly under control with the ships sprinkler systems before flaring up again. The ship arrived at Helsingborg at 07.00, where the fire was extinguished by the local fire services. No injuries were reported amongst the 10 passengers and 19 crew members. The cause of the fire is unknown and under investigation.^[14][15]

King Seaways 2013 fire

On 28 December 2013, a cabin aboard the ferry King Seaways caught fire while it was approximately 30 miles off Flamborough Head whilst travelling to IJmuiden, the Netherlands.^[16] The fire started at 22:45 GMT on Saturday and was extinguished within 15 minutes. RAF rescue helicopters from RAF Boulmer and RAF Leconfield winched two passengers and four crew off the ship. The vessel returned to North Shields on Sunday morning.^[17] The cause is still under investigation however two people have been arrested in connection with the fire. One was subsequently charged with arson reckless to endangering life, and affray.^[18][19] On 8 July 2014 it was reported that one of them had pleaded guilty in Newcastle Crown Court to a charge of arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered. ^[20]

Crown Seaways 2014 engine incident

On 27 April 2014, Crown Seaways experienced engine problems near the Danish island of Anholt, whilst travelling between Copenhagen and Oslo. It is reported that passengers heard a loud bang, a shudder and smoke at about 21:30, when the vessel suffered an engine failure and crank explosion. The ship soon continued on its way towards Oslo. The cause of the incident is unknown.^[21]

Dover Seaways 2014 dock collision

On 10 November 2014, Dover Seaways collided with a harbour wall at the Port of Dover, shortly after leaving the port at 08:00. The ship was heading to Dunkirk carrying 320 passengers. Several passengers were treated with minor injuries, and four were taken to hospital for additional treatment. The cause of the collision is unknown.^[22]

City of Rotterdam / Primula 2015 collision

The City of Rotterdam car carrier collided with Primula Seaways in the Humber estuary in December 2015.^[23]

Closure of the Harwich - Esbjerg route

The Harwich - Esbjerg route was closed on 29 September 2014 due to a decline in passenger numbers. The Harwich - Esbjerg route had operated since 1875. This was the last service operated by DFDS from Harwich and was also the last passenger service between Great Britain and Denmark; DFDS continue to operate freight services from Immingham to Denmark. DFDS Seaways reported that MS Sirena Seaways will move on other duties on the route between Kapellskar, Sweden and Paldiski, Estonia. A petition has been set up to attempt to show DFDS that there is a demand for the route.

References

Notes

1. McLean, Anthony (27 May 2008). . NewsGuardian. Archived from the original on 28 May 2008. Retrieved 8 July 2008.
2. . DFDS press release. DFDS. 27 May 2008. Archived from the original on 28 August 2008. Retrieved 8 July 2008.
3. "New DFDS ferry Côte D'Opale makes maiden voyage to Dover". trans.info. 26 August 2021.
4. "DFDS orders RoPax ships in China". DFDS. 26 August 2021.
5. "Aura Seaways". MarineTraffic. 26 August 2021.
6. "Successful launch of new RoPax". DFDS. 26 August 2021.
7. "Newbuilding for the Baltics soon ready for sea trials". DFDS. 26 August 2021.
8. "Newcastle-Amsterdam New Ship Information". DFDS.
9. Mairtime, Baird. "DFDS cancels planned vessel swap with Moby". Baird Maritime. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
10. "Eoghan Dalton, 'Rosslare-Dunkirk Crossing Could be Boon for Southeast'". The Irish Times. 5 August 2022.
11. "Fire at Cargo and Passenger Ship – Victoria Seawys". World Maritime News. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
12. "Sirena Seaways ferry damaged hitting Harwich dock". BBC News. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
13. "Fire Extinguished on 'Britannia Seaways' Cargo Ship Off Norway". World Maritime News. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
14. "Fire Broke Out on Ro-Ro Vessel CORONA SEAWAYS". World Maritime News. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
15. "Accident Report into the Corona Seaways fire 2013" (PDF).
16. "Ferry Fire: Man Arrested Over Suspected Arson". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 29 December 2013.
17. "North Sea ferry fire on MS King Seaways prompts probe". BBC News. Retrieved 29 December 2013.
18. "British police arrest two men over North Sea ferry fire". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 29 December 2013.
19. "Man Charged with Arson After North Sea Ferry Fire". The Guardian. 30 December 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
20. "Drunk passenger starts £800k ferry fire after smoking cannabis in cabin". AOL.
21. Peterson, Neil. . Demotix. Archived from the original on 8 May 2014. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
22. "Dover Seaways Hits Harbour Wall, Four Injured". World Maritime News. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
23. "'Illusion and inadequate reactions' to blame for Humber collision". Automotive Logistics. 9 February 2017. Retrieved 20 February 2017.

Bibliography

• Peter, Bruce (2010). DFDS: Sailing in Style. Ramsey, Isle of Man: Ferry Publications. ISBN 9781906608279.
• Peter, Bruce (2016). DFDS 150. Lyngby, Denmark: Nautilus Forlag. ISBN 9788790924645.
• Peter, Bruce (2016). Tor Line and the Battle of the North Sea. Lyngby, Denmark: Nautilus. ISBN 9788790924652.
• Spark, Robert; Swieszkowski, J.M. (1980). 1880-1980 Harwich-Esbjerg. London: DFDS (UK). OCLC 40248447.
• Thorsøe, Søren (1991). DFDS 1866-1991: Ship development through 125 years - from paddle steamer to ro/ro ship / Skibsudvikling gennem 125 år - fra hjuldamper til rulleskib (in English and Danish). Copenhagen: DFDS. ISBN 8798003003.
• Thorsøe, Søren; Simonsen, Peter; Krogh-Andersen, Søren; Vaupel, Henrik (2006). DFDS 1991-2006: Ship development continues / Skibsudviklingen fortsætter (in English and Danish). Copenhagen: DFDS. ISBN 8798003038.
• Widdows, Nick (2010). DFDS: the fleet (new ed.). Ramsey, Isle of Man: Ferry Publications. ISBN 9781906608217.
• DFDS, Det Forenede Dampskibs-Selskab A/S, 1866 - 1966 / The United Steamship Company Ltd., Copenhagen (in Danish and English). Copenhagen: DFDS. 1966. OCLC 834335974.