DFDS
DFDS A/S, an abbreviation of Det Forenede Dampskibs-Selskab (literally The United Steamship Company) is a Danish shipping company. DFDS was formed in 1866 as a merger of various minor shipping companies under the leadership of industrialist Carl Frederik Tietgen. After the takeover of Thingvalla Line in 1898, the Scandinavian America Line was established.
During its history, DFDS has absorbed several other ferry operators, including Tor Line (purchased 1981) and Prinz Ferries (also purchased 1981). From 1982 to 1983 DFDS' passenger operations were branded as DFDS Danish Seaways (Esbjerg — Harwich/Newcastle/Torshavn, Copenhagen — Oslo, Newcastle — Oslo), DFDS Tor Line (Gothenburg — Harwich/Newcastle/Amsterdam) and DFDS Prins Ferries (Harwich — Hamburg/Bremerhaven). DFDS also operated the Fred. Olsen Bergen Line routes Newcastle — Stavanger/Bergen and Stavanger — Amsterdam.
Although DFDS have generally concentrated on freight and passenger traffic on the North Sea (and to a lesser extent the Baltic Sea), they operated a ferry service in the Mediterranean between 1971 and 1981, as well as a ferry service from New York to Freeport as well as Miami - Freeport in the early 1980s under the name Scandinavian World Cruises (which later developed into SeaEscape). Between 1988 and 1999 the company's passenger services were marketed under the name Scandinavian Seaways.
Today, passenger activities are operated by DFDS Seaways, whereas freight activities are operated by DFDS Tor Line, DFDS Lys Line and DFDS LISCO.
DFDS Seaways
DFDS Seaways is the passenger-carrying division of DFDS A/S. It operates five cruiseferries and one ro-pax ferry on routes connecting Denmark to Norway, and the United Kingdom to the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway. The company has recently (2006) renewed their fleet, purchasing MS King of Scandinavia and MS Princess of Norway to replace the last ships dating from the 1970s still in service. The company has acquired a reputation as something of an expert in purchasing used ships, as the last time DFDS Seaways ordered a newbuild was in 1978 (although they have since taken over build contracts and taken delivery of newbuilds originally ordered by other companies). In 2006 DFDS Seaways stopped serving Sweden when MS Princess of Scandinavia was taken off service and the Copenhagen—Oslo service ships stopped calling at Helsingborg. In May 2008 DFDS made public their plan to close down the loss-making United Kingdom—Norway service on 1 September 2008. , the ship used in the service, will be either sold or chartered out to another operator.
Fleet
| Ship | Built | Entered service | Route | Tonnage1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MS Crown of Scandinavia | 1994 | 1994 | Copenhagen—Oslo | |
| MS Dana Sirena | 2002 | 2003 | Harwich—Esbjerg | |
| MS King of Scandinavia | 1987 | 2006 | Newcastle—IJmuiden | |
| MS Pearl of Scandinavia | 1989 | 2001 | Copenhagen—Oslo | |
| MS Princess of Norway | 1986 | 2006 | Newcastle—IJmuiden | |
| MS Queen of Scandinavia | 1981 | 1990 | Newcastle—Stavanger—Haugesund—Bergen | |
| 1May be specified in gross tonnage (GT) or gross register tons (GRT). | ||||
Former ships
| Ship | Years in service | Gross Register Tonnage | Status as of 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|
| MS Skipper Clement | 1964-1976 | Since 1998 MS Europa I with Skenderbeg Lines | |
| MS ''Akershus | 1965-1973 | Burnt and sunk 1989 | |
| MS Winston Churchill | 1967-1996 | Scrapped 2004 | |
| MS Kong Olav V | 1968-1984 | Burnt 1993, later scrapped | |
| MS Prinsesse Margrethe | 1968-1983 | Scrapped 2005 | |
| MS Aalborgshus MS Dana Sirena MS Dana Corona | 1969-1971 1971-1978 1978-1985 | | Since 1985 MS Tian E, laid up in China since 2003 |
| MS Trekroner MS Dana Corona MS Dana Sirena | 1970-1971 1971-1979 1979-1983 | Sunk 1994 | |
| MS Dana Regina | 1974-1990 | Since 1998 MS Vana Tallinn with Tallink | |
| MS Dana Anglia MS Duke of Scandinavia | 1978-2002 2002-2006 | | Since 2006 MS Pont L'Abbé with Brittany Ferries |
| MS Dana Gloria MS King of Scandinavia | 1981-1984, 1986-1989 1989-1994 | | Since 2006 MS Jupiter for Royal Group Ltd |
| MS Tor Scandinavia MS Princess of Scandinavia | 1981-1991 1991-2006 | | Since 2006 MS Moby Otta with Moby Lines |
| MS Scandinavia | 1982-1985 | Since 2002 MS Island Escape with Island Cruises | |
| MS Tor Britannia MS Prince of Scandinavia | 1982-1990 1990-2003 | | Since 2003 MS Moby Drea with Moby Lines |
| MS Hamburg MS Admiral of Scandinavia | 1987-1997 1997-2002 | | Since 2002 MS Caribbean Express with Access Ferries |
| MS Duchess of Scandinavia | 2003-2005 | Since 2008 MS Bergensfjord with Fjord Line |
DFDS Tor Line
DFDS Tor Line is the main freight-carrying division of DFDS. It operates a large number of RO-RO freighters on the North Sea as well as the Baltic Sea. It was formed as merger of DFDS' and Tor Line's freight operations after DFDS bought the latter in 1982 (until 1988 the passenger service between Sweden and the United Kingdom was also marketed as DFDS Tor Line).
On 17 January 2008 DFDS reported they had purchased the build contract of a 600 passenger / 2500 lanemeter ro-pax vessel from Grimaldi Ferries. The vessel in under construction at Nuovi Cantieri Apuania, Italy and is expected to enter service in May 2009 on the Kiel—Klaipeda route.
Fleet
- MS Tor Anglia
- MS Tor Baltica
- MS Tor Begonia
- MS Tor Belgia
- MS Tor Britannia
- MS Tor Cimbria
- MS Tor Dania
- MS Tor Ficaria
- MS Tor Flandria
- MS Tor Freesia
- MS Tor Futura
- MS Tor Gothia
- MS Tor Hollandia
- MS Tor Humbria
- MS Tor Magnolia
- MS Tor Maxima
- MS Tor Minerva
- MS Tor Neringa
- MS Tor Petunia
- MS Tor Primula
- MS Tor Scandia
- MS Tor Selandia
- MS Tor Suecia
Former ships
DFDS LISCO
AB DFDS LISCO is a Lithuanian subsidiary of DFDS. It operates 5 lines with 7 ferries for passengers and freight connecting Germany to Lithuania, Latvia and Russia as well as Germany to Sweden. AB DFDS LISCO has subsidiaries in Germany (DFDS LISCO GmbH), Sweden (DFDS Tor Line AB), Latvia (DFDS Tor Line SIA) and Russia (OOO DFDS LISCO).
Fleet
| Ship | Built | Entered service | Route | Tonnage1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 2007 | Travemünde—Riga | ||
| 2002 | 2003 | Kiel—Klaipeda | ||
| 1999 | 2006 | Kiel—Klaipeda | ||
| 1992 | 2004 | Karlshamn—Klaipeda | ||
| 1989 | 1989 | Karlshamn—Klaipeda | ||
| 1972 | 2003 | Travemünde—Riga | ||
| 1987 | 1987 | Sassnitz—Klaipeda Sassnitz—Baltijsk | ||
| 1May be specified in gross tonnage (GT) or gross register tons (GRT). | ||||
DFDS Lys Line
DFDS Lys Line transports freight from Norway, Sweden and Denmark to Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, Portugal and Italy, offering door-to-door transportation. The company was originally founded in 1970.
Fleet
- MS Lysvik
- MS Lysblink
- MS Lysbris
- MS Lysfoss
- MS Lystind
- MS Lysskog
- MS Lyshav
- MS Lyspoint
- MS Odertal
- MS Isertal
DFDS Container Line
DFDS Container Line transports containers between Ireland and the Netherlands. On October 2nd 2006 the acquisition of Norfolkline Containers by DFDS A/S was completed.
Established in August 1997 Norfolkline Containers was set up to offer Direct Port-to-Port services between Ireland and Europe.
Fleet
References
External links
- Official website
- DFDS Seaways
- Trip bookings
- DFDS on Fakta om Fartyg (Swedish)
- DFDS LISCO GmbH (German)
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Last updated on Friday October 10, 2008 at 03:04:00 PDT (GMT -0700)
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