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 In 2015, DFDS announced 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 Saint-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 2025, 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, Brittany Ferries launched legal action against DFDS. 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 stated that "significant market distortion" has contributed to 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 Saint-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 IJmuiden⇄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 Ship Type Built Enteredservice Route Tonnage Flag IMO number Notes Image Artemis SeawaysRoll-on/roll-off ferry 2005 2019 Trieste–Mersin 9293428 Renamed from UN Marmara in 2020. Aspendos SeawaysRoll-on/roll-off ferry 2005 2019 Trieste–Mersin 9322425 Renamed from UN Pendik in 2019. Assos SeawaysRoll-on/roll-off ferry 2005 2019 Trieste–Pendik 9293416 Renamed from Saffet Ullusoy in 2020. Athena Seaways Roll-on/roll-off ferry 2007 2013 Dunkerque–Rosslare 9350680 Aura Seaways Roll-on/roll-off ferry 2021 2021 Klaipėda–Kiel 9851036 Begonia SeawaysRoll-on/roll-off cargo vessel 2004 2010 Gothenburg–Ghent–Odense 9262089 Botnia SeawaysRoll-on/roll-off ferry 2000 2010 Klaipėda–Køge 9192129 Britannia Seaways Roll-on/roll-off ferry 2000 2011 Immingham–Esbjerg 9153032 Caesarea Trader Roll-on/roll-off ferry 1996 2025 Portsmouth–Jersey Jersey–Saint-Malo 9117985Former Commodore Goodwill of Condor Ferries Ceuta Jet High-speed craft ferry 1998 1998 Algericas–Ceuta 9174323 Dardanelles SeawaysRoll-on/roll-off ferry 2006 2019 Sete–Yalova 9322437 Renamed from UN Trieste in 2019. Ephesus SeawaysRoll-on/roll-off ferry 2019 2019 Trieste–Pendik 9816830 Ficaria Seaways Roll-on/roll-off ferry 2006 2010 Gothenburg–Immingham–Brevik 9320568 Flandria SeawaysRoll-on/roll-off ferry 2020 2020 Gothenburg–Zeebrugge 9860142 Freesia SeawaysRoll-on/roll-off ferry 2004 2010 Gothenburg–Immingham 9274848 Galata SeawaysRoll-on/roll-off ferry 2010 2019 Trieste–Mersin 9422134 Renamed from Cemil Bayülgen in 2020. Gallipoli SeawaysRoll-on/roll-off ferry 2001 2019 Sète–Yalova 9215476 Hollandia Seaways Roll-on/roll-off cargo vessel 2019 2019 Vlaardingen–Immingham 9832585 Humbria Seaways Roll-on/roll-off cargo vessel 2020 2020 Gothenburg–Ghent 9832597 Kattegat Roll-on/roll-off ferry 1996 1996 Algeciras–Tanger Med 9112765 King Seaways Cruiseferry 1987 2006 IJmuiden–Newcastle 8502406 Levante Jet High-speed craft ferry 2015 2021 Poole–Jersey 9722819 Luna Seaways Roll-on/roll-off ferry 2021 2022 Klaipėda–Karlshamn 9851048 Magnolia SeawaysRoll-on/roll-off ferry 2003 2010 Cuxhaven–Immingham 9259496 Myra SeawaysRoll-on/roll-off ferry 2009 2019 Sete–Izmir 9422122 Olympos SeawaysRoll-on/roll-off ferry 2002 2019 Trieste–Mersin 9242390 Renamed from UND Birlik in 2019. Optima Seaways Roll-on/roll-off ferry 1999 2010 Klaipėda–Kiel 9188427 Patria Seaways Roll-on/roll-off ferry 1992 2004 Klaipėda–Karlshamn 8917390 Pergamon SeawaysRoll-on/roll-off ferry 2013 2019 Trieste–Patras 9506277 Renamed from UN Istanbul in 2020. Petunia SeawaysRoll-on/roll-off ferry 2004 2010 Gothenburg–Ghent 9259501 Primula SeawaysRoll-on/roll-off ferry 2004 2010 Gothenburg–Ghent–Brevik 9259513 Princess Seaways Cruiseferry 1986 2006 IJmuiden–Newcastle 8502391 Regina Seaways Roll-on/roll-off ferry 2010 2011 Klaipėda–Karlshamn 9458535 Scandia Seaways Roll-on/roll-off ferry 2021 2021 Vlaardingen–Immingham 9864681 Selandia SeawaysRoll-on/roll-off ferry 1998 2010 Cuxhaven–Immingham 9157284 Sirena Seaways Roll-on/roll-off ferry 2002 2013 Paldiski–Kapellskär 9212163 Stena Vinga Roll-on/roll-off ferry 2005 2025 Portsmouth–Jersey 9323699 Currently chartered from Stena Line. To be acquired and renamed as Corbière Seaways. Suecia SeawaysRoll-on/roll-off ferry 1999 2011 Felixstowe–Vlaardingen 9153020 Sumela SeawaysRoll-on/roll-off ferry 2008 2019 Sete–Topcular 9356749 Tanger Express Roll-on/roll-off ferry 1996 1996 Algeciras–Tanger Med Tarifa Jet High-speed craft ferry 1997 2006 Saint-Malo–Jersey 9150099 Troy Seaways Roll-on/roll-off ferry 2019 2019 Trieste–Pendik 9816842 Victoria Seaways Roll-on/roll-off ferry 2009 2010 Dunkerque–Rosslare 9350721 Zeugma SeawaysRoll-on/roll-off ferry 2008 2019 Sete–Topcular 9356737 Renamed from UN Akdenizn in 2020.DFDS Seaways France Côte d'Albâtre Roll-on/roll-off ferry 2005 2006 Dieppe–Newhaven 9320128 Operated under the Transmanche Ferries brand Côte des Dunes Roll-on/roll-off ferry 2001 2016 Dover–Calais 9232527 Côte des Flandres Roll-on/roll-off ferry 2005 2016 Dover–Calais 9305843 Côte d'Opale Roll-on/roll-off ferry 2020 2021 Dover–Calais 9858321 Delft Seaways Roll-on/roll-off ferry 2006 2010 Dover–Dunkerque 9293088 Dover Seaways Roll-on/roll-off ferry 2006 2010 Dover–Dunkerque 9318345 Dunkerque Seaways Roll-on/roll-off ferry 2005 2010 Dover–Dunkerque 9293076 Seven Sisters Roll-on/roll-off ferry 2006 2006 Dieppe–Newhaven 9320130 Operated under the Transmanche Ferries brand
Future fleet