Amsterdam-Newcastle ferry route suspended
Due to the Covid-19 situation, the Amsterdam-Newcastle ferry route will be temporarily suspended. Latest sailings will be on 21 March from Amsterdam and 22 March from Newcastle. DFDS is in consultation with crews on board and staff ashore about the temporary effects on employment.
Princess Seaways
Following the introduction of new national measures intended to delay the spread of Covid-19 virus, DFDS suspends sailings on the Amsterdam (IJmuiden)-Newcastle route temporarily. Last sailings will be from Amsterdam on Saturday 21 March and from Newcastle on Sunday 22 March.
“Customers with a booking are being informed individually about this, and we have decided to continue sailing for a few days more to give travelers a chance to get home,” says Kasper Moos, Head of DFDS’ short routes and passenger business.
“We had hoped to be able to continue the route on the basis of a reduced operation. However, the situation has developed fast, and the recent national measures to slow down the virus spread, including travel restrictions, give us no alternative but to suspend sailings until 13 April as a minimum.”
Unfortunately, this also means that we will need to send crews and staff in Newcastle and IJmuiden home until the route can be re-opened. Crewmembers will be on board for some days to get the ships ready to be laid up in IJmuiden. We have informed everyone working at the route about the situation and are currently in talks with union representatives and national authorities in the Netherlands, the UK, Denmark and Germany about this and possible schemes to mitigate the consequences on staff. We will be able to inform people in more detail next week.”
“That we have been able to sail and service our customers until now is only due to the fantastic efforts of our colleagues on board and ashore. They continued working and servicing our customers under extremely difficult conditions, and we owe every one of them our thanks and gratitude. I look very much forward to welcoming colleagues and customers back on the route, as soon as the Covid-19 crisis is under control,” says Kasper Moos.