TRIESTE – DFDS has announced the sale of the Ro-Ro vessel Cappadocia Seaways as part of a fleet optimisation plan to align capacity with the current and future needs of its European and Mediterranean network.
After more than 23 years in service, the vessel will leave DFDS, which has decided to replace it with the Selandia Seaways, a 197-metre unit with a capacity of 2,772 lane metres, equal to 177 semi-trailers. The latter will enter service on the Tunis–Marseille route, while the Gallipoli Seaways will replace the vessel sold on the Mersin–Trieste line. The connection between Tunisia and France has recorded constant volume growth in recent years, and DFDS aims to consolidate its development with the new unit, the Danish Group explains in a note.
The Cappadocia Seaways was welcomed at the HHLA Plt Italy terminal in February 2022 and was part, together with “Paqize” and “Olympos Seaways”, of the trio that regularly connected Mersin and the port of Friuli Venezia Giulia.
«We are optimising operations to ensure that our fleet responds effectively to market needs – said Mathieu Girardin, Executive Vice President and Head of the DFDS Ferry Division –. With a large and flexible fleet, we can maintain service frequency and quality, supporting traffic between Europe, Turkey and North Africa».
In the Mediterranean, DFDS operates six routes with a fleet of 17 vessels linking Turkey, North Africa and Europe. Overall, the group’s network counts 30 connections, 17 dedicated exclusively to freight transport and 13 mixed passenger-freight routes.
