DFDS Harwich - Esbjerg ferry to be discontinued

[jamesontheroad]

Source: ITV News

Historic Harwich ferry route to be axed later this year

A historic ferry route between Harwich and Esbjerg in Denmark will close later this year due to rising costs and falling passenger numbers.

The DFDS route, which runs 2 or 3 times a week currently, will stop on 29 September.

It first started way back in 1875.

DFDS say that passenger numbers have dropped from 300,000 to 80,000.

The company tried to slash costs by reducing the number of crew members and transforming the route into a combined freight and passenger service.

However, the level of investment required to meet new environmental standards coming into force next year proved to be too great.

"Unfortunately we haven't been able to reduce costs enough to enable the route to bear the very high additional costs of around £2m a year," said CEO Niels Smedegaard.

"This is what the new environmental law and the requirement to use low-sulphur oil will cost based on current oil prices from 1 January 2015...

And another one bites the dust. I was surprised to read that the first ferry ran on this route in 1875!

 

[F1Ken]

Big shame for harwich, When I was a kid Parkston key was buzzing but sadly it look's quite abandoned now.

80,000 less going through Harwich is worrying. All I life I have witnessed my beloved town decline further and further, even through economic boon we get poorer, shops close, a service goes.

 

[LexyBoy]

Oh no, was planning to go to Scandinavia (at some point in the next few years) and had just got accustomed to the idea of having to do this rather than sailing to Bergen

 

[talltim]

That makes me sad. I went to Legoland on the Dana Anglia in the 80s, have great memories of the Smorgasbord

 

[starrymarkb]

I did the Legoland too, horrendous crossing going out!

 

[Masbroughlad]

Is there still Newcastle to Esbjerg?

 

[Liam]

Oh no, was planning to go to Scandinavia (at some point in the next few years) and had just got accustomed to the idea of having to do this rather than sailing to Bergen

DFDS still operate ferries from Tilbury and Immingham to Gothenburg, though it's not clear if they take foot passengers, or if you have to be travelling with a vehicle. There's also Immingham to Cuxhaven, aslo DFDS.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Is there still Newcastle to Esbjerg?

No, only Newcastle-IJmuiden.

 

[Suraggu]

DFDS still operate ferries from Tilbury and Immingham to Gothenburg, though it's not clear if they take foot passengers, or if you have to be travelling with a vehicle. There's also Immingham to Cuxhaven, aslo DFDS.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---


No, only Newcastle-IJmuiden.

Those Ferries in your first post are freight only.

 

[Liam]

Those Ferries in your first post are freight only.

Are you sure?

http://freight.dfdsseaways.com/dfds_ferries/north_sea_ferries/gothenburg_immingham_ferries/

Passengers on freight vessels

Enquiries for passenger transport on this route should be addressed to Gothenburg (Tel: +46 31 65 08 67 , Monday - Friday 10:00-11:00 / Email: paxbookings.got@dfds.com ) or Immingham (Tel: +44 14 69 55 26 16 / Email: imm-norbookings@dfds.com ).

Read more about passenger bookings here

Driver

Facilities on board
On this route our Ro-Ro vessels offer comfortable accommodation in shared double cabin usually with shower and toilet. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served at set times and a canteen and TV lounge are available.

There are reports online from people who have used the Immingham-Gothenburg ferry with a car.

 

[richw]

Are you sure?

http://freight.dfdsseaways.com/dfds_ferries/north_sea_ferries/gothenburg_immingham_ferries/



There are reports online from people who have used the Immingham-Gothenburg ferry with a car.

Yes, but you pay freight rates for the car, which is higher than a conventional ferry.

 

[Liam]

Yes, but you pay freight rates for the car, which is higher than a conventional ferry.

If you want to get to Scandinavia and don't fancy flying or driving all the way, you're not left with much choice.

 

[jamesontheroad]

Yes, but you pay freight rates for the car, which is higher than a conventional ferry.

If you want to get to Scandinavia and don't fancy flying or driving all the way, you're not left with much choice.

This PDF has the charges... £150 for a regular car, £170 adult, £85 child and £35 booking fee. Not unreasonable in the peak seasons.

 

[Deerfold]

If you want to get to Scandinavia and don't fancy flying or driving all the way, you're not left with much choice.

I'm curious as to how you drive all the way.

 

[starrymarkb]

Dover-Calais->Belgium->Netherlands->Germany->Denmark (->Oresund Bridge->Sweden->Norway)

I'm assuming Trucks are now going around rather then taking the ferry, might take longer but if Fuel and any extra wages are less then the ferry fare then they'll do it.

Also wonder if there is an increase in freight using shipping containers and not sending the truck over with the cargo.

 

[Deerfold]

Dover-Calais->Belgium->Netherlands->Germany->Denmark (->Oresund Bridge->Sweden->Norway)

I'm assuming Trucks are now going around rather then taking the ferry, might take longer but if Fuel and any extra wages are less then the ferry fare then they'll do it.

Also wonder if there is an increase in freight using shipping containers and not sending the truck over with the cargo.

Was that an answer to me? Not sure how you drive Dover-Calais!

 

[DJL]

I used this ferry once some 20+ years ago.
The trip out was truly awful - The boat never should have left port. The crossing took 25 hours!
I remember they closed the curtains in the entertainment lounge to stop the screams when you could see the waves crashing around the windows several decks above the waterline.
Not a fun experience!

I don't remember much about the return trip but I think it was 18 hours and lovely weather.

 

[Greenback]

It's a real shame to see another ferry route disappear. I haven't quite recovered from the loss of the Bergen ferries yet!

 

[talltim]

I used this ferry once some 20+ years ago.
The trip out was truly awful - The boat never should have left port. The crossing took 25 hours!
I remember they closed the curtains in the entertainment lounge to stop the screams when you could see the waves crashing around the windows several decks above the waterline.
Not a fun experience!

I don't remember much about the return trip but I think it was 18 hours and lovely weather.

I can remember being sick on the way out, but felt much better after and managed to eat 8 danish pastries for breakfast! (does it count as bulimia if you are sick so you can eat more? )
Seasick pills on the way back really worked.

 

[Mikey C]

Sad news about the loss of the Esbjerg ferry route, though as I last used it 25 years ago I'm not exactly a regular! Happy memories of dancing on a sloping dance floor...

 

[kylemore]

Contrast the almost total decline of the North Sea passenger business with the long distance Western Channel and Biscay services operated by Britanny Ferries with lots of services and investment in new tonnage including the world's largest LNG powered cruise ferry. In the 70s you could travel from Newcastle and /or Harwich to Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands and Belgium - now we only have the Newcastle/Amsterdam(Ijmuiden) "Booze Cruise/City Break service and Hull or Harwich to Rotterdam/Hook or Zeebrugge.
The cheap airlines were to blame of course as many of the foot pax on these sevices where heading for various Northern European/Scandanavian Cities now intensively served by the likes of Ryanair and Easyjet whereas the Western channel/Biscay routes had and still have a higher proportion of accompanied car tourist traffic and now of course lots of car traffic of UK people to permanent or semi-permanent residence in France/Spain with little or no equivalent on the North Sea - for instance car touring holidays to Scandanavia are virtually unaffordable for average UK families compared with the 70s.

 

[Tetchytyke]

That makes me sad. I went to Legoland on the Dana Anglia in the 80s, have great memories of the Smorgasbord

Me too. Had a cabin at the bottom of the ship and hurled all the way there.

The Tor Britannia was much nicer

Always sad to see ferry routes go, but the North Sea market is dying because of low cost airlines.

 

[talltim]

Did those of you that went to Legoland go with Specialised Tours?

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Was that an answer to me? Not sure how you drive Dover-Calais!

There is the Euroshuttle train through the Chunnel isn't there? Or would we consider that a ferry for the purposes of this thread?

 

[starrymarkb]

Did those of you that went to Legoland go with Specialised Tours?

Nope, Parents drove with a self catering apartment in Henne Strand - was a long time in the back of a Mk2 Astra

And yes Scandinavia's very high prices probably put off a lot of touring traffic. I dread to think how much the trip would cost now...
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Ok I think I see why the route is dying off. For car, 2 adults and 1 kid the minimum is £530 return!

 

[Deerfold]

There is the Euroshuttle train through the Chunnel isn't there? Or would we consider that a ferry for the purposes of this thread?

If that's considered driving all the way I'd have thought that driving on and off a ferry was too.

 

[Tetchytyke]

Did those of you that went to Legoland go with Specialised Tours?

Sadly not, t'was a Scandinavian Seaways tour and they royally messed it up

 

[Peter Mugridge]

If that's considered driving all the way I'd have thought that driving on and off a ferry was too.

We could probably debate this either way - for example on the Euroshuttle one is on solid ground all the way; on a ferry one is afloat and therefore not in contact with the ground.

 

[OxtedL]

Was that an answer to me? Not sure how you drive Dover-Calais!

Surely you're veering dangerously close to pedantry here?

The obvious interpretation of 'drive all the way' involves crossing the Dover Straits.

 

[Deerfold]

Surely you're veering dangerously close to pedantry here?

I don't think so. I've no problem describing going via the Chunnel as driving all the way but if you're going to I'd also describe going on a ferry as driving all the way - in both cases you put you car into another vehicle for part of the journey.

 

[Greenback]

I think most people tend to use it as a figure of speech regardless of the transport mode, if they are doing a short sea crossing. My mate said he was driving all the way to France last year as he travelled via Dover, but the previous year he used Brittany Ferries to Santander and described it as the ferry to Spain then driving to Portugal!