New Contract Means Extra RoRo Freight Ferry Sailings Between Sweden and Belgium

SWEDEN – BELGIUM – Danish shipping and logistics group, DFDS and renewable materials company, Stora Enso have entered into a 5-year agreement to annually carry circa 700,000 tonnes of paper and board products between Gothenburg and Zeebrugge using a new RoRo freight ferry service. Stora Enso has options to extend the agreement for a further three years.

To accommodate the volumes within the agreement, DFDS will open a route between Gothenburg and Zeebrugge which is extending the service frequency between Sweden and Belgium from 8 to 12 weekly departures. Peder Gellert Pedersen, Executive Vice President, DFDS Group, and Head of Ferry Division, said:

“We are very pleased to expand our cooperation with Stora Enso and look forward to supporting their growth through an efficient and flexible route operation. We likewise look forward to offer the transport market additional capacity and services between Sweden and Belgium.”

The new services, expected to open Mid-June, will be operated by three freight ferries. Two RoRo freight ferries, the Slingeborg and the Schieborg, will be acquired from Netherlands-based shipping company, Royal Wagenborg for DKK 270 million. The remaining vessel will be transferred from the Gothenburg-Ghent route, which currently deploys four freight ferries.

Stora Enso is a leading global provider of renewable solutions in packaging, biomaterials, wooden constructions and paper, with annual sales of €10.5 billion and 26,000 employees.

Photo: Slingeborg