Danish shipping company DFDS will sell its mini-cruise route between Norway and Denmark to Swedish ferry operator Gotlandsbolaget. The decision will ensure that the route receives the future focus and investments needed to further develop, while DFDS strengthens the focus on its core business within freight, passenger transport, and logistics.
The sale price is around DKK400 million (US$60 million). The sale also includes the two DFDS vessels deployed on the route as well as port agreements and terminal equipment. As part of the sale, approximately 800 employees in route operations and support functions will also move to Gotlandsbolaget.
Torben Carlsen, CEO of DFDS, said the company has determined that the sale of the Oslo-Frederikshavn-Copenhagen (OFC) route to Gotlandsbolaget is "the best way forward for all." He added that route "deserves to be in the hands of an owner with cruise experience as a core part of their strategy."
The OFC route is a cruise experience route carrying more than 700.000 passengers between Norway and Denmark every year. DFDS said the route fits well with Gotlandsbolaget's strategic focus.
Following the sale, DFDS' ferry transport network will consist of freight-only routes in the Mediterranean and on the North Sea and combined freight and passenger routes on the Baltic Sea, between the Netherlands and the UK, on the English Channel and on the Strait of Gibraltar. The ferry transport network is complemented by DFDS's European wide road and rail transport network and logistics services.
