Truck and Track Summer 2021

Truck and Track Summer 2021 www.truckandtrack.com 62 PORTS New Vessel - Côte d’Opale At 214m long and 27.8m wide, the Côte d’Opale is the longest ro/ro ship on the Channel. With a capacity of 3,100 lane meters, it will be a spacious and modern way to cross to and from Calais. The Côte d’Opale has replaced the Calais Seaways, offering more efficient fuel consumption and lower carbon dioxide emissions and will offer our freight drivers a smoother crossing with its active stabilisation. The vessel will offer relaxing sea views in its extensive lounge, quality dining in the Seven Seas Restaurant and Lighthouse Café, a Premium Lounge for that extra level of relaxation, along with a shopping complex that will be the largest Duty-Free space on the Channel. For our valued freight drivers, the Road Kings Lounge will provide space for 130 drivers, with extensive toilets and shower facilities andmore space to relax and refresh. As with all our Channel vessels, the Côte d’Opale will offer our freight drivers a free meal with every crossing, as well as access to Road Tax and HGV toll machines, WIFI and a relaxation lounge onboard. We are very excited to see the Côte d’Opale in service and we are sure our freight customers will be very happy with the newest addition to our fleet.” saidWayne Bullen, Freight Director at DFDS. Rosslare Dunkerque Route On 2nd January we launched the Rosslare / Dunkerque route, offering a direct and paperless route between EU countries. Providing five crossings per week, each of the vessels can carry 125 lorries and provides a single (Covid-19 safe) cabin for each driver. The route has already proved to be very popular and highly utilized. By removing the customs formalities, the route saves our customers both time and costs. Drivers will be able to arrive in Rosslare or Dunkerque fully rested, able to start driving immediately and allowing themto reachmany destinations within their legal driving limit. With the implementation of additional UK customs formalities at the end of 2021/2022, this will further benefit our customers. Sheerness Calais Route On the 12th July DFDS launched the new route operating between Calais and Sheerness, the service provides a dedicated unaccompanied service, offering one daily crossing in each direction, seven days a week. With the challenges of Brexit and Covid-19, many hauliers and carriers have had to re-evaluate their options. This new service helps to provide more options for our customers and supports market changes as demand shifts towards more unaccompanied freight services. DFDS we move for all to grow