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Real-life presentation of interior design for Baltic newbuildings

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Here is how the Ro-Pax ships will look on the inside.

 

We now see that the steel and piping production is really picking up in for our freight and passenger newbuilding project in Guangzhou, China. And this week, we passed an important milestone with the first inspection of the so-called mock-up of the accommodation.

A Mock-up is a full scale model of parts of the accommodation built up at the shipyard using the real materials. This enables the owner (in this case DFDS) to inspect the accommodation design in “real life”. Even with use of computer animations, advanced computer programs etc., nothing beats a ”look and feel” experience.

The mock-up is being built and outfitted by the shipyard and the accommodation suppliers in cooperation so we can evaluate the design and make necessary corrections for the items not living up to our expectations. Furthermore, the mock-up will serve as quality and workmanship reference during the construction. This means that if things aren’t done to our satisfaction, we can refer to the mock-up. Therefore, a mock-up is an important “tool” and will be kept on the shipyard during the entire construction process.

Representatives from BU Baltic, Brand and of course Newbuilding & Major Conversions, were present at the mock-up inspection along with the external interior architect company Steen Friis Design from Copenhagen.

It went well, and only few things need to be changed. As the yard and the accommodation supplier have been extremely busy preparing the mock-up on time and have worked almost 24 h per day up to the mock-up inspection, we had some doubt whether they could finish on time. But they did, and they were ready for the inspection.

The photos will give you an impression of the looks of our new great Ro-Pax ferries, but please remember: It is only the first mock-up so there will be changes, and you will have to wait and see the final result. But we are confident you won’t be disappointed.

Site team to grow

Manning on the site team will also be gradually increased over the coming months in line with production picking up. Currently, there are 10 persons on the site team including Steen Haurum, Jens Monk and Morten Fenger from DFDS, and the other site team members from OSM.

Jesper Aagesen, Director of Newbuilding & Major Conversions

See more photos below:

Third freight ferry now flying the Danish flag

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After the delivery of the third mega freight ferry to DFDS, participants and crew took part in a traditional flag ceremony where First Officer Finn Henneberg Bay hoisted the Danish flag. As you can see in the picture above, some of her sister ships joined the ceremony at the Jinling Shipyard in China, so the participants could enjoy a spectacular view of our fourth and fifth mega freight ferries.

Just yesterday, the 6,700- lane metre ferry left the shipyard on her maiden voyage and set course for Singapore, to be fitted out for service and stocked with a variety of supplies and provisions.

Thank you very much to Senior Project Manager Jens Peter Baltsersen for sharing the pictures and for keeping us in the loop about progress at the Jinling Shipyard.

Third freight ferry delivered to DFDS

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The team that handled the delivery of DFDS’ third mega freight ferry from Jinling in China. From left: of our own Ole Færge, VP and Head of Legal & Insurance; Jens Peter Baltsersen, Senior Project Manager; Jesper Aagesen, Director of Newbuildings & Major Conversions; and Jesper Hartvig Nielsen, Corporate Port Captain.

Chinese tradition considers three a lucky number. However, we can assure you there was no luck involved in constructing our third mega freight ferry. This required precise planning and hard work.

With the construction phase now complete and the necessary paperwork signed, we are excited to announce that we can officially call the third mega freight ferry ours.

The delivery took place yesterday at 17:18 local time, when Ole Færge, Jens Peter Baltsersen, Jesper Aagesen, and Jesper Hartvig Nielsen were in China to take part in the handover ceremony.

Congratulations and thank you to the site team and construction crew for a great job done.


Second from left: Jens Peter Baltsersen, Jesper Aagesen, Jesper Hartvig Nielsen

Steel-plate cutting ceremony for our second combined freight and passenger ferry

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A push of a button might be a simple act by itself however at a steel-plate cutting ceremony it signifies the beginning of the construction phase after years of careful planning and designing down to the smallest detail.

Only a month has gone by since the steel-plate cutting ceremony for our first combined freight and passenger ferry, but it is already time for the second ferry to pass this milestone. Yesterday a steel-plate cutting ceremony at Guangzhou Shipyard International in southern China was arranged to celebrate the vessels transition from design to construction phase. It was Senior Site Superintendent Morten Fenger who pushed the button to start the steel cutting for the 230-metre ferry which will be able to carry 270 trailers and 600 passengers.

Congratulations to our site team at Guangzhou Shipyard who now will be even more busy with the construction of two newbuildings.


Representatives from our site team, classification society and shipyard at the steel-cutting ceremony

 

The exact moment where Morten Fenger pressed the button initiating the steel cutting for our second combined freight and passenger ferry

Third mega freight ferry from Jinling for sea trials

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Our third freight ferry from Jinling Shipyard went for sea trials last Sunday. The pictures show the ferry on the first evening of her sea trials, anchoring on the Yangtze River

Our colleagues at the Jinling Shipyard in China are as busy as ever. They are currently managing the construction of the third, fourth and fifth freight ferry and blocks for the sixth vessel are under construction with keel-laying expected to take place in October.

Senior Project Manager Jens Peter Baltsersen has shared some photos and information to provide insight into what is going on at Jinling.

Jens Peter says: “Our third freight ferry went for sea trials last Sunday. During the sea trials the entire ship is tested to ensure that everything is working properly and that all systems on board are functioning normally. Following the sea trials, final adjustments will ensure that the ferry is ready for delivery in mid-October.

The other mega ferries are still at the shipyard:


“Commissioning of systems on board our fourth freight ferry has started. The ferry was launched last month and has since then been laying at the outfitting pier as seen on the pictures above. Expected delivery is around 1 December.”

 


“Just over a month ago, the fifth ferry was merely a mega block waiting to be assembled and welded. However,  as seen on the photo the progress is clearly visible now and the fifth ferry is quickly taking shape after her previous sisters. This week main engines were installed.”

Newbuilding moves to construction phase at Guangzhou Shipyard International

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Representatives from our site team, classification society and shipyard at the steel-cutting ceremony

Another newbuilding journey started today at DFDS. Under a sunny sky at Guangzhou Shipyard International in southern China, DFDS had a steel-cutting ceremony for the first of our two combined passenger and freight ferries. This means an official advance from design to construction phase.

Christian Simon Nielsen, Project Manager, says: “The 230-metre ferry will be constructed to all the modern standards, will be able to carry 270 trailers and 600 passengers and is expected to operate on the Baltic routes.
The vessel is also designed to be ‘Safe Return to Port’ compliant, which is a regulation set by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) requiring larger passenger vessels to be designed for improved survivability.

“This means that in the event of flooding or fire, passengers and crew can safely stay on board as the ferry should be able to return to port without requiring passengers to evacuate. This adds significant complexity to the ship design and has been one of the big hurdles to overcome in the design phase. The ‘Safe Return to Port’ work will continue throughout the building process but with great teamwork we will continue to find good solutions,” says Christian.

The next big milestone for the vessel is the keel-laying, expected by the end of the year or beginning of 2020.


Site Senior Superintendent Jens Monk Green Bro participated in the ceremony and pressed the button starting the steel plate cutting


At Guangzhou Shipyard it is customary that whenever a company starts production at the yard, a tree is planted to symbolize good relationships, good cooperation and friendship during and after the building process

Fourth mega freight ferry from Jinling launched

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The fourth of six of the mega freight ferries from Jinling Shipyard in China has now launched onto the Yangtze river.

 

And then there were four floating freight ferries from Jinling. The impressive building pace continues in China, where on 5 July they launched number four out of six from the Jinling Shipyard dry dock.

With the third freight ferry nearby and being busily prepared for her sea trials in August, and the mega block for the fifth having just arrived from Nanjing, the fourth had its debut in the water as the dry dock filled up and tugs helped her out onto the Yangtze river.


Jens Peter Baltsersen has shared pictures of the great moment for those of us in all locations waiting impatiently to get first-hand impressions of the huge ferries. Except of course for our BU Med colleagues, many of whom have already become acquainted with Ephesus and Troy.

It is truly exciting to follow the building of these 6,700 lane-metre vessels and we congratulate the site team and construction crew on this successful launch, leaving just two launches to go.

The naming ceremony of Troy Seaways

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And then there were two. Watch this wonderful video from the naming ceremony of Troy Seaways that we have just received from our colleagues in BU Med. Enjoy!

Third freight ferry from Jinling prepares for sea trial

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Summer is upon us but that does not stop our hardworking site team and construction crew from delivering huge ferries to us. Jens Peter Baltsersen has today shared fresh shots from Jinling Shipyard in China.

They show our third freight ferry being relocated by tugboats to the outside of the pier and she is now undergoing final preparations towards sea trail in August.


Additionally, later this week on 5 July, the fourth freight ferry will launch and be positioned where the third ferry was berthed until today.

Remaining freight ferries from Jinling well underway

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It is full steam ahead at the Jinling shipyard in China. Our site-team have delivered two freight ferries and are working on the following three. Construction will soon start on the sixth and final ferry on the order placed with the shipyard. It can be a little bit difficult to keep track of the progress from the sidelines. Luckily, Jens Peter Baltsersen, Senior Project Manager, has shared some pictures of the four freight ferries in their various stages perfectly illustrating the construction process from steel plates to an almost complete ferry.

Jens Peter says: “Construction is progressing well and follows the schedule very nicely. Earlier this week, Frane Pilic, Site Manager from OSM Ship Management, pressed the button to start the steel plate cutting for our sixth and last freight ferry that is expected to be delivered in Q4 2020. There is still some way to go, but it sure feels special to prepare the construction of the last freight ferry.

We are also seeing quite some improvement regarding two specific issues concerning the protection of equipment and housekeeping on board the ferries under construction, issues that have been focus on from the beginning of the construction phase. The yard has picked up on these important areas which is very positive.”

Pictures of the third freight ferry. The ramp way, sandblasting of deck 5 and aft of deck 7

The fourth freight ferry is coming along very nicely

Few photos of pre erected blocks made to construct the fifth freight ferry

Steel plate cutting commenced for the sixth and last ferry

Project meeting at Guangzhou Shipyard

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As you may know, we have ordered two 4500 lane meter combined freight and passenger ferries intended for one of our services between Klaipeda and Germany or Sweden. The two ferries will be constructed at the Guangzhou Shipyard in China and will start soon.

Earlier this week the project team headed by Project Manager Christian Simon Nielsen were accompanied by Creative Director David Earle from Digital & Marketing in beautiful Guangzhou for a project meeting with the shipyard. One of the items on the agenda was interior design that requires a lot of consideration so the ferries can give off the right DFDS-feeling to our customers.

Note that what you see on the photos is not necessarily what we get, as a wide range of colors and materials were presented.

Thank you to David Earle and Jesper Aagesen for the pictures.


Christian Simon Nielsen (in white shirt) and David Earle (in red shirt) looking through the many possibilities of colors and materials that is available for the ferries’ interior


One of the items on the agenda was for the project team to start discussions with the shipyard about the interior design and materials

Second Jinling freight ferry completes voyage from Singapore

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A lot of lane metres sailing through the Suez Canal with the massive sand dunes on each side

Our second freight ferry from Jinling Shipyard has now reached the Mediterranean Sea after 15 days of sailing from Singapore with an expected arrival at the Port of Pendik tonight.

Captain Joakim Dahlberg says: “The voyage was mostly smooth sailing with some minor difficulties that we managed to take care of. Immediately after docking from Singapore, we experienced the first rain of this voyage, a very heavy tropical rain, however throughout the voyage the weather was mostly pleasant though some days were awfully hot with more than 43 degrees accompanied by sunshine and clear skies.

“We also got the opportunity to see some curious whales that had been following us during the day but unfortunately they refused to break surface long enough to get good pictures.”

Joakim has kindly provided us with some great pictures of our freight ferry sailing through the impressive Suez Canal last Saturday.

“The passage through the canal was quick and we were lucky to be the first in the convoy. Last Saturday at 15.45, we arrived in Port Said, located at the end of the Suez Canal, and an hour or so later we were outside the buoyed fairway on open sea and stopped one of the engines to begin slow streaming again at about 10 knots. Today we will be dropping anchor outside the harbor of Pendik tonight at about 22:00 CET” says Joakim.

Combined freight and passenger ferry construction initiated in China

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Anders Thomsen starting the steel cutting machine

We currently have a lot of developments to be excited about in China. We have a huge order of six mega freight ferries from Jinling Shipyard and the second ferry will soon arrive in Turkey.
In Guangzhou, we have ordered two combined freight and passenger ferries that will prepare us for our customers’ future needs and requirements.
And just last Friday, we reached another milestone as the first steel-plate cutting ceremony at AVIC Shipyard in Weihai, China, initiated the construction of our combined freight and passenger ferry destined for the Channel. The ferry is expected to be delivered to DFDS on a 10-year bareboat charter in mid-2021 and it will be the longest ship on the channel with capacity for 1,000 passengers and crew.

“The new ferry will be set in operation on the Dover – Calais route. We therefore think it is quite fitting to name her after one of the most beautiful coastal regions in France, Côte d’Opale, which borders Belgium and is situated opposite the cliffs of south-east England,” says Kasper Moos, Head of BU Short Routes & Passenger.

Initiating construction with one press of a button
“At exactly 09:08 (lucky numbers in China), our new colleague, Anders Thomsen, DFDS’ Senior Charterer’s Representative, pushed the button on the steel cutting machine,” says Jesper Aagesen, Director of Newbuilding & Major Conversion. “This started the cutting work on the very first steel plate. There is however still a way to go until the remaining approximately 10,000 tonnes of steel have been welded together but I am very excited to follow the construction from steel cut to delivery.”


Anders Thomsen closely observing the first steel-plate cutting


Stena RoRo, who own the ferry, has a large site team in place in Weihai


The office in Weihai was also inaugurated. Later in the process, Anders will be accompanied by more members of DFDS’ observer site team

New consultant to oversee construction of the newbuilding intended for the Channel

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It won’t be long before another newbuilding adventure begins as the construction of our combined passenger and freight ferry officially starts later this month.

Joining us in this adventure is Anders Bouet Thomsen who has been engaged as a consultant via the company JMC-Limited. Anders will take up the role as our Senior Charterer’s Representative in Weihai.

“One, two, three…DFDS will soon be building new vessels in not less than three locations in China. Maybe it is a bit of an exaggeration, because the third place – in addition to Nanjing (Jinling) and Guangzhou (GSI) – is at Avic Weihai where Stena RoRo has ordered a series of vessels and one of these vessels will be taken on a bareboat charter by DFDS when it is completed in 2021. We will however follow the construction of the vessel by a small site team with observer status, and it is therefore a pleasure to welcome Anders to DFDS.
On Thursday 30 May the cutting of the first steel plate will take place, and Anders will then be ready in Weihai. Later on, Anders will be supplemented by more people from DFDS,” says Jesper Aagesen, Director of Newbuilding & Major Conversions.

As Naval Architect, Anders brings broad experience in newbuildings, both as a site manager supervising on-site at the shipyard or as a project manager working from HQ. His experience and different jobs have brought him to live all around the world including Germany, Chile, South Korea, Spain, Norway, Brazil, Turkey, and soon he will be able to add China to that list.

Second Jinling freight ferry fitted out in Singapore

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The second of our six freight ferries from the Jinling Shipyard arrived in Singapore before the weekend and was fitted out for service in just 14 hours

 

Completing a freight ferry like our newbuildings in such short time is a masterwork of engineering, and following the milestones for each vessel coming out of the Jinling Shipyard is a great pleasure. On 8 May the second freight ferry was delivered to DFDS, and she has now as part of the ‘delivery voyage’ made the important stop in Singapore to be fitted out for service and stocked with a variety of essentials needed for her further sailings. That starts with the voyage to the Mediterranean.

It takes a significant start-up package for a ship of this size to have its stores filled and made ready for service. To start with, you need about a thousand tonnes of fuel and 125,000 litres of lubricating oil. Add to that a wide selection of tools, IT-systems, screens, fitness equipment and much more, totalling close to 150 pallets. All this was completed in 14 hours after a great effort from all involved.

There was a team from DFDS present at the dock to greet the crew upon their arrival from China and to help coordinate loading and installations. Peter Guldager, Senior Purchasing Manager in Operational Procurement, headed the effort of loading a variety of materials onto the ship together with the crew.

Peter Guldager had a very personal and physical impression of the ship’s size. In addition to his sore legs, his phone’s fitness app registered that he walked 30,000 steps (about the length of a half-marathon) and climbed 34 flights of stairs while coordinating the day’s work.

 

Poul Daugaard, Systems Developer, organised the IT-installations, of which there were many. “Four employees from IT were on site to install equipment coming in, with the two of us from Denmark, one from the UK and one from France, and the teamwork couldn’t have been better,” he said.

Following the work and still carrying the temporary name, the ship departed at night time with a course set for Istanbul. Once there she will be renamed after a UNESCO heritage site in Turkey, just like her sister Ephesus Seaways.

Second Jinling freight ferry en route to Singapore

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The departure of one of our mega freight ferries from Jinling Shipyard is a story that we have told before, and will be telling four times again. However, we are still exited to, once again, bring one of the largest freight ferries to the Mediterranean Sea.

Two days ago, she was delivered to DFDS, and just this morning she departed for Singapore and is expected to arrive on Thursday.

“The delivery went smooth and we had a small session on board Thursday afternoon, celebrating the event in beautiful weather together with the crew, the site team and our broker BRS. All in all a good day for the project and for DFDS. The vessel is now on the way to Singapore and is reporting that things are working well onboard.
In Singapore IT and Peter Guldager, Senior Purchasing Manager, will be ready to support installation of IT equipment/network and owners deliveries/stores/spare parts and provision” says Jens Peter Baltsersen, Senior Project Manager.

Even though, she currently sails under “Belgia Seaways”, her name will be changed in accordance with our principle of naming our Mediterranean ships after UNESCO heritage sites in Turkey.


The hard-working site team at the Jinling Shipyard that supervises the construction of our vessels

Second Jinling freight ferry delivered to DFDS

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Today, 8 May 2019 on 15.18 local time, the yard had done theirs, the paper work was completed, and the second of  our new mega freight ferries from the Jinling Shipyard in China was handed over to DFDS at the yard.

The picture is from the signing today. We will soon be back with information about her journey to the Mediterranean where she will join her sister in the Turkey-Italy corridor.

Fourth Jinling freight ferry growing fast

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It has been a while since we last showed you the progress of our newbuilding adventure, however this does not mean that the construction has slowed down in the slightest. A little over a month has only gone by since the keel-laying ceremony for the fourth freight ferry, and we can already show you a fast-growing vessel, as seen on the pictures kindly sent by Superintendent Jeppe Halkjær Pedersen. It is safe to say that the shipyard is only getting faster at making our giant ferries.

The second freight ferry has recently been on a successful sea trial and is now waiting to be delivered to DFDS with an expected ceremony within the next week. The third will sail for her first sea trial in August.


The unique ramp system with three independent stern ramps and internal ramps is coming along nicely

Keel-laying ceremony initiates construction of fourth freight ferry in China

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The third freight ferry from China had not been outside the dry dock for long before the site team and construction crew started the construction of our fourth newbuilding.

Today, the traditional keel-laying ceremony took place at the Jinling Shipyard to officially celebrate the start of construction of our fourth freight ferry. In line with Chinese tradition, a coin was placed under the keel and this time Chief Engineer Matti Thomsen (pictured below) was given the honour of sealing it as a symbol of luck throughout the construction process and while at sea.

The fourth freight ferry is expected to be delivered in the last quarter of 2019.

Third successful launch in China – three to go

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Following the finishing touches of coating on the hull and other preparations, the sluices opened and filled the drydock with water, making our third mega freight ferry waterborne for the first time.

Tugboats carefully escorted the vessel out onto the Yangtze River, completing a successful launch and as you can see in the pictures from today, she fits just as well in the water as her two sisters.

The next milestone in the newbuilding adventure will be the sea trial of the second freight ferry.

Congratulations to the site team and construction crew on another successful launch and once again thank you to Jens Peter Baltsersen for sharing the pictures with us.

In case you have forgotten how it looks when the construction crew float out one of our mega freight ferries, you can watch or rewatch this video.

Torben Carlsen at annual Shippax conference with a DFDS team

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The executive panel at the Shippax Ferry conference (from left): moderator Frederik Erdmann, Shippax; Janette Bell (CEO P&O Ferries); Torben Carlsen; Mark Collins (President and CEO of BC Ferries in Canada); Emanuele Grimaldi (MD of the Grimaldi Group); and Tallink Grupp board member Harri Hanschmidt.

The annual Shippax Ferry conference, which usually takes place on board a ferry, is a two-day global gathering of ferry companies, executives, experts, authorities and media for sharing views and experiences on current trends, future challenges and developments in the industry.

This year’s conference took place from 12-14 March on Silja Serenade on the Stockholm – Helsinki route and attracted about 500 delegates from all over the world, including the industry’s heavyweights.

Among those were DFDS’ CFO Torben Carlsen, and, as our soon-to-be CEO he had found the right networking forum in the ferry executive debate where he shared the panel with Janette Bell (CEO P&O Ferries), Mark Collins (President and CEO of BC Ferries in Canada), Emanuele Grimaldi (MD of the Grimaldi Group) and Tallink Grupp board member Harri Hanschmidt.

Following moderator Philippe Holthof’s presentation about the performance of the ferry industry, each panellist gave a short presentation. This was then followed by the interactive panel debate, moderated by Philippe and his colleague Frederik Erdmann. Torben talked about DFDS’ developments and about the consolidation perspectives in the ferry industry. He also commented on the tonnage market, which he anticipated will be tougher for tonnage providers in the future due to the current shipbuilding volumes.

In a newbuildings session, DFDS Jesper Aagesen and Finn Wollesen, MD of ship design company Knud E. Hansen, introduced the Ephesus Seaways project. When this year’s conference closed, Jesper invited the delegates to next year’s conference, in which DFDS will be deeply involved as it will take place on Pearl Seaways.

Jesper Hartvig Nielsen and Maria Anagnostou from DFDS’ fleet management department were also among the delegates.

Thank you to George Gianakis and Maria Anagnostou for the pictures.

More information and a detailed programme can be found here:
https://www.shippaxferryconference.com/en/about-conference-2019.aspx and: https://www.shippaxferryconference.com/backnet/media_archive/original/bfac15adc09238873394b7631dcf7a99.pdf


Torben Carlsen gave a presentation about DFDS and his view on the market in his address prior to a panel debate at the Shippax Ferry conference on Silja Serenade

 


The executive panel and moderator Philippe Holthof in the midst of a panel debate about the ferry industry

Ephesus Seaways named at ceremony in Istanbul

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Eva Lundstedt releasing the bottle against the hull to give the ship her new name, Ephesus Seaways

Yesterday, DFDS passed another big milestone in its newbuilding adventure. It was a very spectacular one, as the first of our six new mega freight ferries was named Ephesus Seaways at a festive ceremony at Port of Pendik in Istanbul.

The name was given by Eva Lundstedt, who was joined by her husband Martin Lundstedt, CEO of Volvo. She made a speech about the importance of the ferry for people in the region, for growth and for DFDS and Volvo.

“It was truly a great ceremony, and I am very pleased that Eva and Martin Lundstedt helped us turn it into a very enjoyable event that also included major customers of both Volvo and DFDS,” says Peder Gellert, who hosted the event with Selçuk Boztepe, SVP of BU Med. They accompanied Eva Lundstedt to the naming platform, from where she threw the bottle against the hull to give the ship her new name, Ephesus Seaways. Both Peder and Selçuk made speeches to celebrate the event, the ship and the many customers and official guests who had joined us for the ceremony.


Peder Gellert, Eva Lundstedt and Selçuk Boztepe at at the naming ceremony

Following the naming, the guests were invited to a lunch at the terminal.

A total of nearly 300 guests participated, including the Consul General of Denmark in Istanbul – Anette Snedgaard Galskot, Turkish State officials, customers of BU Med and Volvo’s Istanbul office executives, Turkish national TV channels TRT and NTV. And almost 26 journalists and editors were there as well to experience the naming ceremony of our brand-new mega freight ferry.

Hasan Can Gümüş, who has been assigned master of Ephesus Seaways, was given a memorial coin engraved with the famous ‘Ephesus Celsus Library’ by Eva Lundstedt during the ceremony. BU Med has also made a donation to TURMEPA, the Turkish Marine Environment Protection Association, and shared donation certificates with all guests. The guests were also given a memorial present for this special day.


Hasan Can Gümüş proudly accepting the memorial coin from Eva Lundstedt

“A big thank you to everyone who had helped plan and arrange this great ceremony, not least Meltem Konakli, who did a fantastic job turning this into a great and successful event,” says Selçuk Boztepe.


Note from the editors:
Ephesus is one of the Earth’s greatest historical sites, added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2015 and located on the Aegean Coast of Turkey, near the present-day city of Kuşadası.

Once a thriving seaport, Ephesus rose to prominence as a major Mediterranean city around 3,000 years ago. It was abandoned as a city in the 15th century after the river changed and earthquakes had ruined the city’s status as a trading centre. It is now a popular tourist attraction visited by 2.5 million people every year.


The newly named Ephesus Seaways berthing at Port of Pendik

Third mega freight ferry close to launch

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Our third mega freight ferry in dry dock at the Jinling Shipyard in China

While the first of the six mega freight ferries is in Turkey and almost ready to be put in service, the sister ships are still in Jinling Shipyard at various stages of the construction process.

The site team and construction crew are doing a phenomenal job of building our ferries and it won’t take long before the whole shipyard is filled with ships for DFDS.

We have just received great pictures of our third freight ferry in dry dock getting ready to launch around 24 March.

Thank you to Jens Peter Baltsersen, Senior Project Manager, for sending the pictures.

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Port of Pendik welcomes mega freight ferry

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Our newest addition to the DFDS fleet arrived this weekend at the Port of Pendik in Turkey February 23. We are very excited to have her home and it will not be long before she sets course for her first sailing to Trieste when she will be set in service from 9 March with an expected arrival on 11 March.

The freight ferry will soon be taken to the GEMAK Shipyard to get a rebranding and a name change followed by an official naming ceremony early march.

The grand scale of the ferry can easily be seen on below picture as it is side by side with one of our other ferries UN Arkdeniz.


Our mega freight ferry side by side with UN Arkdeniz