DFDS Harwich to Esbjerg ferry route's final journey - BBC News

[whole diary]

[JayMac]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

The UK^▸ (United Kingdom)'s only ferry link to Scandinavia is to close for good, marking the "the end of an era", its operator says. The route between Harwich, Essex and Esbjerg in Denmark, run by DFDS Seaways, has been in operation for nearly 140 years. The company said the route "has been struggling for a long time" and would not be able to take on costs associated with a new environmental law. The final ferry is to sail on Sunday.

Chief executive of DFDS Seaways, Niel Smedegaard, said: "The route is of particular historical significance to DFDS so it's a very sad day for us all. "Our regrets go to our many passengers who must now see the last passenger ferry route between the UK and Scandinavia close."

From 1 January 2015, a European Union directive aimed at reducing sulphur dioxide emissions from ships will come into force. DFDS said this would have resulted in a ^2m a year increase in the cost of the Harwich to Esbjerg ferry route.

Mr Smedegaard said the company had not been able to reduce costs enough to enable the route to bear the extra charges.

In June last year, the Sirena Seaways vessel running the Harwich-Esbjerg route hit the quay while docking and started to let in water. There were 489 passengers on board, but no-one was trapped or injured. The crash caused severe damage to the quay and holed the ferry in several places, some below the waterline. An investigation found one of the ship's back-up systems was keeping an engine running at 63% power when it was approaching the dock. This prevented tugs from moving the vessel so passengers could disembark safely. At the time, DFDS said changes were made to stop such an accident happening again.

[grahame]

Sad news ... is that the last regular ferry to Scandinavia now lost?    Harwich to Oslo went many moons ago, and Newcastle to Stavanger within the lifetime of this forum.

Most northerly routes across the North sea are now - what - Harwich to Hoek Van Holland and Hull to Zeebrugge?

[ChrisB]

Sure is

[John R]

Newcastle to Amsterdam by DFDS is still possible.

[Timmer]

DFDS is also closing the Portsmouth-Le Havre route for the same reason:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-29217806

Ferry company DFDS has announced it is to close its Portsmouth and Le Havre service by the end of the year.

The company said the daily service to Normandy carried 185,000 passengers last year, but has been losing money.

It said cost-cutting measures since 2012 had had limited effect.

A DFDS statement said the prospect of higher fuel costs to comply with tougher EU^» (European Union - about) limits on sulphur emissions from 2015 meant the route "does not have a viable future".

It said it would be holding consultation with French unions about the closure.

I don't think Brittany Ferries launching an 'Economy' ferry service on this route helped either.

[LiskeardRich]

DFDS is also closing the Portsmouth-Le Havre route for the same reason:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-29217806

Ferry company DFDS has announced it is to close its Portsmouth and Le Havre service by the end of the year.

The company said the daily service to Normandy carried 185,000 passengers last year, but has been losing money.

It said cost-cutting measures since 2012 had had limited effect.

A DFDS statement said the prospect of higher fuel costs to comply with tougher EU^» (European Union - about) limits on sulphur emissions from 2015 meant the route "does not have a viable future".

It said it would be holding consultation with French unions about the closure.

I don't think Brittany Ferries launching an 'Economy' ferry service on this route helped either.

Brittany Ferries Economie has also seemingly forced LD Lines off the Poole to Spain service as well.

[Brucey]

DFDS's Newcastle to Gothenburg route ended back in 2006, citing competition from low cost airlines.

I notice now that Gothenburg City Airport (the airport used by Ryanair and Wizz) is closing to commercial traffic in 2015 (see http://www.thelocal.se/20150113/gothenburg-city-airport-to-close).  This is due to a safety defect being found and the cost of repair being too high to be viable.

This makes me wonder when the "low cost airline bubble" will burst*.  Does charging low fees to airlines mean there is little money in the pot to pay for extensive and unexpected repairs, like the issue at GSE?

* = I have recently paid fares as low as ^13.99 for Stansted to Gothenburg City and ^19.99 for Stansted to Gdansk.  I cannot see any way the airline and airport can cover their costs with these airfares alone.

[stuving]

This makes me wonder when the "low cost airline bubble" will burst*.  Does charging low fees to airlines mean there is little money in the pot to pay for extensive and unexpected repairs, like the issue at GSE?

* = I have recently paid fares as low as ^13.99 for Stansted to Gothenburg City and ^19.99 for Stansted to Gdansk.  I cannot see any way the airline and airport can cover their costs with these airfares alone.

They don't have to. Or, rather, they only need to cover the true marginal fuel cost of the weight of one more passenger. That's bigger than for a train, but still tiny. The cost of operating a service is pretty well fixed, certainly on the day, and largely over a whole timetable year.

Of course that's only possible if that very low cost paid by your marginal passenger does not reduce what the rest of your planeload are paying.