DFDS orders its largest freight ferries ever

DFDS CEO Nils Smedegaard inks the contract

OCTOBER 3, 2016 — Denmark’s DFDS has signed a contract with China’s Jinling shipyard for two 235 m RO/RO cargo ships, each with a lane meter capacity of 6,700 m, corresponding to about 450 trailers.

They will be DFDS’s largest freight ferries ever and DFDS has options with the shipbuilder for four more of the vessels.

The price tag for the two is about DKK 1 billion (about $150.08 million), more than half of it not payable until their delivery in 2019, .

DFDS says that their size results in a significant reduction in the cost and environmental impact per trailer carried and that the contract is part of its ongoing fleet renewal to meet customers’ freight growth, streamline operations and reduce environmental impacts.

“The new ships will cut energy consumption and emissions by more than 25% per transported trailer compared to current standards.” says DFDS CEO Niels Smedegaard. “At the same time, the ships will be fitted with a unique ramp system, so they can be loaded and discharged in a very short space of time. Along with the sheer size of the ships, their efficiency means we will be able to provide the fast service and capacity, which our customers require and ask for. We are very much looking forward to presenting this new generation of ships to our customers.”

Both newbuildings will be deployed on DFDS ‘route network in the North Sea.

They will meet the new IMO EEDI (Energy Efficency Design Index) requirements and will be fitted with scrubbers and ballast water treatment systems.