Ferry operator DFDS has taken delivery of the first of two new RoRo ships due to come into service on the Rotterdam-Immingham freight route later this year. The Gardenia Seaways and the second new ship, to be handed over in Flensburg in September, are 210 metres long and offer capacity for 262 trailers with a load space of 4,076 metres.

The DFDS fleet currently comprises six vessels, all named after flowers and supplied by German ship builder Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft between 2004 and 2007. The two new ships will increase DFDS’s capacity in the North Sea by 20%.

Peder Gellert, Executive Vice President of the Shipping Division at DFDS said, “The volume on all routes within the DFDS network has grown noticeably, we are already using almost all the capacity available in our existing fleet. Gardenia Seaways and the next new ship will enable us to offer our customers the capacity they want, together with a significantly improved service. The design of the ship, developed in Flensburg, meets current environmental requirements, reducing fuel consumption and providing much better handling when loading and unloading in port.” The two ships will be joined in 2019 by another two RoRo freight vessels. These will be the largest in the DFDS fleet so far. The company is also considering the construction of new combined freight and passenger ships, and the replacement of vessels in its existing passenger fleet.

Photo: DFDS Gardenia Seaways.