DFDS has said that the introduction of its Jersey routes – which performed “below expectations” in their first year – was among the factors that impacted its ferry division’s profits in 2025.
The Danish shipping firm’s latest annual report revealed that the company documented an overall loss for the year of DKK 0.4bn.
It notes that its ferry division’s revenue fell by 4.8% – with a drop in its EBIT (Earnings Before Interest and Taxes ) of 48.1%.
“The majority of the EBIT decrease was due to a lower result for the Mediterranean business unit, higher operating costs, a net negative impact from route changes, including the launch of the Jersey ferry services, and redundancy costs,” the report states.
DFDS commenced its Jersey sailings at the end of March last year, three months after signing a 20-year contract to operate the Island’s ferry services to the UK and France.
Economic Development Minister Kirsten Morel has previously acknowledged that the ferry operator was forced into a “very ambitious” timescale, following the breakdown of what was initially a joint procurement process with Guernsey.
Commenting on the launch of the Jersey routes, DFDS’s annual report also pointed to a “shortened timeframe” in the wake of “several changes in the tender process”.
“Route operations were launched in a timely manner but at extra cost to procure the required tonnage as well as commercial and operational teething issues,” the report added.
“The financial result for the first year was below expectations.”
However, DFDS recently announced that it has seen “a strong increase” in demand for its Jersey sailings, stating that more than 80,000 passengers have so far booked to travel to and from the Island this year.
It said that this included improved figures for both the Poole–Jersey and St Malo–Jersey routes compared to the same time last year, and that more inbound group travel had already been secured for the coming summer than travelled in the whole of 2025.
