2 New Cargo Ships

DFDS welcomes two new large cargo ships

Copenhagen, Monday, June 19, 2017 - DFDS orders two new cargo ships.

With the two new ships, DFDS currently has four large ro-ro ships in order to cater to cargo customers in the North Sea from 2019 and 2020.

Last year, DFDS signed a contract with the Chinese shipyard Jinling for the construction of two ro-ro ships. Each with a line meter capacity of 6,700 meters and room for 450 trailers, they are DFDS 'largest ships ever. Now DFDS has decided to order two more of these large ships

"The ships are part of our new construction program that supports our ability to deliver the requested transport capacity and contributes to our continuous pursuit of efficiency," said Niels Smedegaard, CEO.

New environmental standards

Like their sister ships, the ships are the first vessels owned by DFDS to be built according to the new IMO EEDI (Energy Efficiency Design Index) regulations. These regulations set significantly lower limits for energy consumption and emissions in relation to the capacity of the ship and the engine power. All in all, they reduce energy consumption and emissions by more than 25% per transported trailer compared to current standards. "Because the ships are also equipped with a scrubber, a ballast water treatment system and a number of energy-saving initiatives, the ships represent a whole new generation of environmentally friendly ro-ro ships," Niels Smedegaard, CEO DFDS.

Benefits for our customers

The first two of the four ro-ro ships are expected to be delivered early 2019 and the new two ships early 2020.

'' The ships are equipped with a unique suspension system with three independent stern ramps and internal ramps on each side of the ship. This means that they can be unloaded and loaded in a very short time, offering a combination of greater efficiency and higher capacity. This supports the trade growth over the North Sea of our cargo customers and enables them to provide better service to their customers, says Peder Gellert Pedersen, Executive Vice President and head of DFDS 'Shipping Network.

In addition to the four Jinling ships, the program so far includes two ro-ro ships under construction in Flensburg.