DFDS

Det Forenede Dampskibs-Selskab (DFDS) was founded on 11 December 1866 in Copenhagen as a merger of three major Danish steamship companies, led by the financier Carl Frederik Tietgen. In 2025, the company was named both Europe's and the world's leading ferry operator.

DFDS offers around 49 daily departures and up to 339 weekly crossings on 28 ferry routes. Key connections include Amsterdam (IJmuiden) to Newcastle, Copenhagen to Oslo with a crossing of about 17 hours, and Dover to Calais and Dunkirk. In the Baltic Sea, it serves routes such as Kiel-Klaipėda, Karlshamn-Klaipėda, Kapellskär-Paldiski and Trelleborg-Klaipėda.

The company's history goes back to 1867, when operations began from Copenhagen with 19 ships. The original routes ran to Norway, into the Baltic, to Belgium, the United Kingdom, Iceland and the Faroe Islands. After the port of Esbjerg opened in 1873, services to England began from 1875. In 1964, the MS England became the first RoRo passenger ferry on the Esbjerg-Harwich route.

The fleet comprises modern freight and passenger ferries. The Crown Seaways serves the Copenhagen-Oslo route. On board there are cabins, restaurants and entertainment facilities. Cars, motorhomes and motorcycles can be brought along on the passenger routes. On the freight routes, lorries and trailers are transported.