By
Rebecca Gibson |
European ferry operator DFDS and Italian ferry company Moby Lines are to swap two passenger ferries each as part of their respective efforts to increase capacity and improve the customer experience.
DFDS will acquire Moby Line’s Moby Wonder and Moby Aki, which were built in 2001 and 2005. The ferries, which will be delivered in the second half of October 2019, will be extensively refurbished and renamed before joining the DFDS fleet. The company will also carry out work at the ports in time for the new vessels to start service.
“The new ferries are ideally suited to our Newcastle to Amsterdam route,” said Kasper Moos, vice president and head of short routes and passengers at DFDS. “They will provide our passengers with modern onboard facilities and with more car-deck capacity. The new tonnage will allow DFDS to increase passenger revenue by fulfilling the growing demand for high-yield car passengers. For freight customers, we will be able to offer increased capacity that can remain constant throughout the entire year.”
In early 2020, Moby will acquire Princess Seaways and King Seaways (built in 1986 and 1987 respectively), which currently operate on the route between Newcastle, England and Amsterdam, Netherlands.