DFDS has announced the closure of its Zeebrugge-Rosyth freight route following the fire in the engine room of the 'Finlandia Seaways', which connected Belgium with the Scottish port
DFDS has announced the closure of its Zeebrugge-Rosyth freight route following the fire in the engine room of the 'Finlandia Seaways', which connected Belgium with the Scottish port. The ship was towed to DFDS' terminal in Immingham, where the cargo on board has been discharged and the company performed an inspection of the vessel which revealed substantial damage to the ship's engine room. It was estimated that it would be out of service for several months for repairs. Furthermore, the search for a replacement vessel was fruitless and revealed that there are no suitable ships available. According to DFDS, the financial performance of the route has struggled to meet expectations and volumes were not foreseen to pick up on the route, nor would an increase in volumes be large enough to sustain an efficient route set-up. With the vessel out of service for several months, the market, the customers and the financial situation will be negatively affected. The situation made a turnaround and a reopening unrealistic. Therefore, there was no alternative but to close the route as DFDS undoubtedly will lose clients who will be forced to seek alternative solutions for their transport. The annual revenue of the route was approximately DKK100 million (USD16.4 million) in 2017. Following the closure of the Rosyth-Zeebrugge route, DFDS connects the UK with mainland Europe via ten routes. DFDS has not made any decisions about the deployment of Finlandia Seaways when the vessel has been repaired. Finlandia Seaways.jpg