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.

History

Fleet renewal

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. MS Queen of Scandinavia, the ship that was used in the service, has since been chartered to St Peter Line.

Acqusition of Norfolkline

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.

Brand refresh

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 (now Côte des Dunes) and the Berlioz (now Côte des Flandres).

New ferry purchases

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, and two RoPaxes for Baltic Sea operations. The first of the Baltic twins, named Aura Seaways, was launched in late 2020, and had an inclination test in 2021. The sea trials took place in the middle of 2021.

Cancelled ferry transfers

In September 2019, DFDS 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. 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.

Sale of Copenhagen–Frederikshavn–Oslo route to Gotlandsbolaget

On 10 June 2024, DFDS announced the sale of one of its oldest lines, the mostly passenger-focused Copenhagen–Frederikshavn–Oslo, to the Swedish company Gotlandsbolaget, citing a strategic focus on transport and logistics services. The sale is expected to be completed in October 2024.

Expansion into Jersey

On 3 December 2024, it was announced that DFDS was awarded the contract to operate lifeline ferry services for Jersey from spring 2025, taking over from the pan-Channel Island operator Condor Ferries. This followed the collapse of a joint ferry tender process with Guernsey, who had chosen the majority stake-holder owner of Condor, Brittany Ferries in late October. A 20-year contract was signed on 31 December 2024 for passenger and freight services to Poole, Portsmouth and St Malo. Brittany Ferries was forced to pay DFDS £40,000 in legal fees after it failed to see legal action approved for a judicial review against Jersey's decision to appoint the company as its preferred operator.

Following the launch of services on 28 March 2026, DFDS has been widely criticised due to high freight costs, service disruptions, and reduced connectivity. In August 2025, the Chief Minister of Jersey, Deputy Lyndon Farnham, issued a statement claiming the services offered by DFDS "falls short of what was promised."

In October 2026, the contract signed was released to the public following criticism.

On 6 March 2026, the States of Jersey released an interim report following a review of the current ferry service and contract. The Panel highlighted 11 key findings and made 21 recommendations in the report, which included an independent review of the flat-rate freight fee offered by DFDS, the reduction in crossing times to and from France, and proposed discussions with the States of Guernsey and other groups "to develop a long-term solution for the inter-island connections."

The lack of inter-island services to Guernsey provided by DFDS has been a source of significant backlash from local sporting clubs. A special sailing for the 2025 Muratti Vase football competition in Guernsey was put on by the DFDS using the Stena Vinga, but faced concerns over the disruption to freight services from Portsmouth, as these were cancelled as a result. Following this, a weekly Monday service was originally trialled in the summer of 2025 using the Tarifa Jet, but never resumed. A working group between the States of Guernsey, Brittany Ferries and ferry operators Islands Unlimited and Manche Îles Express was set up to improve inter-island links. DFDS and the States of Jersey were initially not included, but have since joined. In early 2026, DFDS proposed a new inter-island service using the Stena Vinga, with an outbound sailing to Guernsey on Fridays, and a return on Sundays, slotted into the scheduled Portsmouth service. This received mixed reactions and was rejected in mid-April by the States of Guernsey's Economic Development Committee due to operational issues on behalf of Guernsey Ports and the Guernsey Customs & Immigration Service.

Legal action with Brittany Ferries

In May 2025, DFDS had legal action launched against itself by Brittany Ferries. The company demanded £125 million of compensation, and submitted a complaint to the Directorate-General for Competition of the European Union over the grants that DFDS receives from the Syndicat Mixte Transmanche in Normandy for its Dieppe and Newhaven operations. Brittany Ferries blamed "significant market distortion" resulting in losses on its Portsmouth operations.

Routes

Baltic Sea

• Klaipėda⇄Fredericia
• Klaipėda⇄Karlshamn
• Klaipėda⇄Kiel
• Klaipėda⇄Køge
• Klaipėda⇄Trelleborg
• Klaipėda⇄Travemünde
• Muuga⇄Vuosaari
• Paldiski⇄Kapellskär

English Channel

• Dieppe⇄Newhaven
• Dover⇄Calais
• Dover⇄Dunkirk
• Poole⇄Jersey
• Portsmouth⇄Jersey
• Rosslare⇄Dunkirk
• St. Malo⇄Jersey

Mediterranean Sea

• Damietta⇄Trieste
• Marmara Ereğlisi⇄Trieste
• Marseille⇄Tunis
• Mersin⇄Trieste
• Pendik⇄Trieste
• Yalova⇄Sète
• Yalova⇄Trieste

North Sea

• Brevik⇄Ghent
• Brevik⇄Immingham
• Cuxhaven⇄Immingham
• Esbjerg⇄Immingham
• Gothenburg⇄Brevik
• Gothenburg⇄Zeebrugge
• Immingham⇄Fredrikstad
• Immingham⇄Newcastle
• Vlaardingen⇄Felixstowe
• Vlaardingen⇄Immingham
• Vlaardingen⇄Vilagarcía de Arousa
• Zeebrugge⇄Fredrikstad
• Zeebrugge⇄Immingham

Strait of Gibraltar

• Algeciras⇄Tanger Med
• Algeciras⇄Ceuta

Fleet

DFDS Seaways operates a large fleet of cruise ferries, high-speed craft, ro-pax and ro-ro ferries. Following restructuring in 2010, all shipping activities (including those of DFDS Tor Line, DFDS Lisco and FRS Iberia/Maroc) were rebranded as DFDS Seaways.

Current fleet

Future fleet

Former ships

Accidents and incidents

Victoria Seaways 2013 fire

On 23 April 2013, Victoria Seaways caught fire whilst on passage between Kiel, Germany and Klaipėda, 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 Klaipėda shortly after. The cause of the incident is unknown.

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.

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.

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.

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. 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. 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. 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.

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.

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.

City of Rotterdam / Primula 2015 collision

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

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.

Notes

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 .
• 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 .