English - DFDS

DFDS annual report 2009 HEADER 119
DFDS’
history
DFDS was founded in 1866, when C. F. Tietgen merged the three
biggest Danish steamship companies of the day, and thus DFDS
celebrated its 140th anniversary in 2006.
From its inception, DFDS was involved in domestic as well as
international trade, transporting both freight and passengers. DFDS’
international activities started in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea,
followed later by the Mediterranean. Towards the end of the 19th
century, routes were also established to the USA and South America.
Land-based transport and logistics also became a part of DFDS’
business activities as freight transport by land began to grow, and
in the 1960s a door-to-door concept for freight was developed.
A passenger route between New York and Miami, based on a
cruise-ferry concept, was opened in 1982 but did not live up to
expectations and closed in 1983. Subsequently, the DFDS Group
was restructured and the activities in the Mediterranean and the
routes to the USA and South America were sold.
Since then, DFDS’ geographic focus for shipping has been
Northern Europe.
Land-based haulage and logistics activities were developed on the
basis of organic growth and company acquisitions. By the late 1990s,
DFDS Dan Transport had become one of the largest land-based
transport companies in Northern Europe. DFDS Dan Transport was
sold in 2000 to concentrate the Group’s resources on shipping, and
a focused new shipping strategy was introduced in January 2001.
DFDS’ current route network for freight and passenger shipping has
been developed through organic growth and several acquisitions. The
most important investments have been in the Swedish passenger and
freight shipping company Tor Line in the early 80s, the Norwegian
freight shipping company North Sea Line in the late 90s, the
Lithuanian freight and passenger shipping company LISCO in 2001 and
the Norwegian freight shipping company Lys-Line in 2003. In recent
years, organic growth has been generated by, among other things,
investments in tonnage of which the modernisation of the
ro-ro fleet has been most significant.
At the end of 2009, DFDS entered into an agreement to acquire
Norfolkline, making the combined company Northern Europe’s
leading passenger and freight company. DFDS is thus on the threshold
of starting a new chapter in the company’s history. Final approval
of the acquisition of Norfolkline from the competition authorities
is expected to be received in Q2 2010.
EDITING DFDS A/S
Design KONTRapunkt A/S
Layout & production KP2 a/s
PHoto Søren Nielsen