“We are the most important solution partner in shipping to Europe and intermodal shipping”

Lars Hoffmann, Head of the Mediterranean Business Unit of DFDS, one of the leading companies in the logistics and intermodal transport industry in Turkey and Europe, answered the world’s questions.

You are celebrating your 5th year in Turkey. How much have you invested as DFDS in the field of Ro-Ro shipping in Turkey in 5 years, how has the cargo and cargo ship capacity increased?

As DFDS Mediterranean Business Unit, we increased the number of ships from 12 to 21 in the last 5 years. In addition, we constantly develop safe and fast transport solutions between Turkey and Europe with the central infrastructure that we have strengthened.

DFDS Akdeniz Business Unit, which operates in the ports of Pendik, Yalova, İzmir, Ambarlı and Mersin in Turkey, offers services from Trieste and Bari in Italy, Patras in Greece, Sete and Marseille in France and Tunisia in North Africa.

DFDS Mediterranean Business Unit ensures that companies operating in all regions of Turkey and international shipping companies reach the markets of Italy, Greece, France, Germany, Great Britain and North Africa in the fastest and safest way in Europe. Finally, we added a new solution to the safe and fast transport between Turkey and Europe with the Izmir – Sete route, which became operational in April. The new line, which provides transport with high capacity from Izmir to Sete in 72 hours, provides a faster, safer and more reliable way to reach the target markets.

Companies can also reach Paris from Izmir in 6 days and London in 7 days with the advanced infrastructure of DFDS Akdeniz Business Unit. The Izmir-Sete route, which will offer DFDS customers transit time and cost benefits for their shipments to and from Southern Marmara, Aegean and all Anatolian regions, is scheduled once a week on Sunday. In the first phase, we plan to increase the frequency of trips on our İzmir-Sete line.

We aim to develop and expand the extensive network of journeys that DFDS currently offers. In this direction, our plans and work continue unabated. In addition, DFDS has contributed to employment by continuously increasing the number of its employees, which is the most important factor in the quality of the excellent service it provides to its customers, since 2018, when the Akdeniz Business Unit started to operate. DFDS’ Mediterranean Business Unit has over 1,000 employees working across its operations in Turkey, France and Italy.

“It gained significance in the tragedy”

It has been stated that you have the largest infrastructure in Europe in the medium transport, can you evaluate this table considering the difference in numbers and services and customer satisfaction?

Intermediate solutions that combine maritime and rail transport have gained greater importance during the pandemic process. In this direction, as a Business Unit of DFDS Akdeniz, we invest more in intermodal transport solutions that combine Ro-Ro and rail transport. Around 50 percent of all cargo passing through DFDS’ Trieste port is transported by rail to points in Europe today. Since 2018 we have doubled our weekly train service and therefore had to take it to the next level.

Along with our ferry services and logistics services, we see that the demand for rail transport is increasing. On the other hand, starting from November 17, 2022, we offer Turkish exporters a temporary advantage by delivering units loaded on our ships from Yalova to Paris within 6 days with 3 round train services from the port of France-Sete. On the İzmir-Sete line, which started operating recently, companies can reach Paris from İzmir in 6 days and to London in 7 days with the advanced infrastructure of DFDS Akdeniz Business Unit. We continue to invest in intermodal transportation solutions.

“We will provide fast customer service”

Port and rail connectivity is essential. Can you provide information about your port investment?

How does the quality of service and the mix of DFDS services change and grow after PrimeRail? As the Business Unit of DFDS Akdeniz, we have expanded our central infrastructure in Europe and become the most important solution partner for Turkish freight forwarders and freight forwarders carrying export goods. First of all, we plan to provide more parking spaces with our port investment and thus increase operational service. Additionally, we aim to provide faster service to our customers by changing our Ro-Ro lines and train connections. With our mutual voyages, we can transfer cargo from Anatolia from Pendik, the port of Yalova to the ports of Trieste and Bari in Italy, from the port of Izmir to the port of Sete in France with the new route we put into service in April, and to North Africa and Marseille- Tunisia Connection. With our “Feeder” service that we provide between Ambarlı-Pendik ports, it is possible to provide cargo transportation from Pendik to Italy from Halkalı, Çerkezköy and Çorlu areas.

DFDS’ acquisition of German railway company primeRail in 2021 was a strategic step towards our goal of growing our rail business while expanding our transport network with a greater focus on green solutions. Since 2018 we have doubled our weekly train service and therefore had to take it to the next level. Along with our ferry services and logistics services, we see that the demand for rail transport is increasing. Customers can leave their goods at our facilities in Turkey and receive them in Europe very close to their destination.

Considering the service network of the Mediterranean Business Unit, what is its contribution to Turkey’s foreign trade and how much is its share in all exports?

As DFDS Mediterranean Business Unit, we offer 40% of international land transport between Turkey and Europe with our Ro-Ro lines. We provide fast, safe and environmentally friendly transport services to our customers with rail connections from our ports.

“We will launch our first green ship in 2025”

What points would you like to emphasize especially under the heading of sustainability and green shipping, considering the fact that Turkey’s main trading partner in foreign trade is the European Union countries? As DFDS, we continue to support a sustainable economy and better use of natural resources by using new technological developments that enable our fleet to operate more efficiently for longer for the future of the industry and all of us.

We are moving forward with a 2-part climate strategy that focuses on short-term and long-term measures to reduce carbon emissions. With a vision of sustainability, we strive to be climate neutral by 2050 by gradually reducing our environmental footprint. Our short-term goal is to reduce carbon emissions (CO2) by 45 percent by 2030. We have implemented a joint project with Volvo Trucks to make our road transport sustainable. We are fully committed to accelerating the industry’s transition to electric road transport and have already ordered 125 electric trucks from Volvo Trucks. We also aim to launch our first green ship by 2025 at the latest. (World Newspaper)

SEA NEWS ORGANIZATION