Denmark-based shipping company DFDS is set to invest a total of Dkr1.8bn ($296m) for the purchase of two new combined freight and passenger vessels (RoPax) to serve its Baltic routes.
The company has already paid nearly 10% of the total investment and plans to pay more than half of the payment upon receiving the vessels.
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Both the vessels are set to be built by Guangzhou Shipyard International at its Nansha Yard in China.
They will be able to carry 4,500 lane metres of freight and passenger vehicles each, as well as up to 600 passengers.
The vessels will be equipped with scrubbers and other solutions to facilitate the lowest possible consumption of fuel and reduce emissions in accordance with new environmental standards.
Delivery of the vessels is scheduled to be carried out by the first quarter of 2021 and they are slated to enter service in the third quarter of the same year.
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By GlobalDataThe vessels are expected to primarily serve one of DFDS’ six ferry routes, connecting Lithuania with either Sweden or Germany via the Baltic Sea.
DFDS CEO Niels Smedegaard said: “This investment reflects our commitment to, and belief in, a continued strong development in the Baltic region.
“The new ships will enable us to improve service levels for all our customers and improve the efficiency of the route network, also environmentally.”
DFDS aims to increase its total freight capacity in the Baltic route network by nearly 30% with the introduction of the two new ships.
The company currently offers shipping, port terminal, transportation and logistics services to more than 8,000 customers across Europe.
