DFDS and LDA widen the capacity of their cooperation with a joint new company



Shipowning group Danish DFDS and the shipowning group French Louis Dreyfus Armateurs (LDA) have decided to remarkablly widen the capacity of their cooperation initially limited to the transport of means and passengers on the Must line, route on which is succeeded to the SeaFrance ( on 3 February 2012).

The two groups have announced today that, beyond operating the Must service together, their joint venture will exercise also the Must service of the DFDS, acts with marine brand DFDS Seaways, and the three services of the LD Lines, branch of the LDA, that they connect France with the United Kingdom, on the routes the Havre-Portsmouth and Dieppe-Newhaven, and France with Tunisia, on the Marseilles-Tunisi route.

Such activities will be realized by a joint one company that it will be participated with 82% from DFDS and 18% from LDA and that the next 1° July will become operating.

Currently, besides the three lines the Havre-Portsmouth, Dieppe-Newhaven and Marseilles-Tunisi, LD Lines carry out also the St service. Nazaire-Gijon, than will not be transferred to the joint venture new. To this last one the four ships rental and the ship of property of the LD Lines will be transferred instead.

Altogether the joint new company will operate eight ships in the English Channel, of which five ro-pax in the Strait of Having (four of property and rental) for an ability to 12.500 linear meters of rotabili and 4,000 passengers and three ro-pax (all rental) in the western part of the Channel for an ability to 875 linear meters of rotabili and 500 passengers, and a ship ro-ro rental, of the ability to 200 linear meters, on the Mediterranean route Marseilles-Tunisi.

According to the forecasts, joint venture - that it will have 1,160 dependent - will total a annual revenue of 2.050 million Danish crowns (276 million euros).

"The new company - it has declared the president and managing director of the Danish group, Niels Smedegaard - expands the Network of routes of DFDS online with the strategy of the DFDS to create European a marine and logistic net. Putting together the abilities and the activities of LD Lines and DFDS one has been formed a new company and more fort that is very placed in order to offer to the services ferry that they are demanded by our customers in the very competitive market of the Channel".

"This new company - the president of LD Lines has asserted, Gildas Maire - confirmation our strategy in order to create an European leader in the activity of the ferries in the Channel. Obviously all the ships that we bring to you will remain under the French flag. We absolutely are convinced that this is the right answer to the challenges that the field must face and is trusting that this totally integrated Network will offer to our customers an only flexibility".