LD Lines
 |
|
| Fate | Partly sold to DFDS Seaways and partly shut down. |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2005 |
| Defunct | 2014 |
| Headquarters | Suresnes, France |
|
Area served
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English Channel Bay of Biscay |
|
Key people
|
Pierre Gehanne, Chairman |
| Services | Passenger transportation Freight transportation |
| Parent | Louis Dreyfus Armateurs |
| Divisions | New Channel Company A/S |
| Website | www.ldlines.com |
LD Lines was a French shipping company, with both roro freight and passenger ferry operations. Its parent Louis Dreyfus Armateurs SAS engages in building, owning, operating, and managing vessels. It offers dry bulk transportation, bulk logistics and transportation, submarine cable installation, and offshore services. LD Lines operated ferry routes on the English Channel, the Bay of Biscay and the Mediterranean Sea. In 2013, part of LD Lines merged with the English Channel operations of DFDS Seaways to form DFDS Seaways France. In September 2014, the Poole-Gijon/Santander route closed and the Norman Asturias was immediately laid up off the coast of Saint Nazaire and in Mid-September 2014, the Saint Nazaire-Gijon route was suspended and the Norman Asturias was sent to Algeciras and the Norman Atlantic to Messina.
In March 2012, DFDS and Louis Dreyfus Armateurs entered into an agreement to form a new company that combines DFDS and LD Lines ferry routes in the English Channel and one route between France and Tunisia. During 2013 LD Lines Portsmouth-Le Havre, Newhaven-Dieppe and share of Dover-Calais operation were transferred to the new company known as DFDS Seaways France along with DFDS Seaways Dover-Dunkirk service. DFDS Seaways France is 82% owned by DFDS with the remaining 18% owned by Louis Dreyfus Armateurs. LD Lines Saint-Nazaire–Gijón (and later UK and Ireland - Biscay service) was not included in the transaction.
LDA sold their remaining share in the venture to DFDS in late 2014 and the venture became fully merged into DFDS.
LD Lines' English Channel operations commenced in October 2005, operating between Portsmouth, England and Le Havre, France. This service was introduced following the withdrawal of P&O Ferries' long-standing operation on this route.
Initially there was one sailing per day in each direction, with the Portsmouth–Le Havre sailing taking place overnight. This utilised one vessel, the MS Norman Spirit, which is ironically a former P&O vessel (used on their Dover–Calais route until May 2005). In 2008 the Norman Voyager was introduced on the route, she was withdrawn in September 2009 and chartered to Celtic Link Ferries for service between Cherbourg and Rosslare and Cherbourg and Portsmouth. In November 2009 Norman Spirit was moved to the Dover–Boulogne route, her place was taken by Cote d'Albatre which remained on the route until the Norman Spirits return in 2011.
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Wikipedia