DFDS has reported a decline in both freight and passenger volumes for November 2025.
Total freight volumes stood at 3.6 million lane metres, representing a decrease of 1.8 per cent compared to the same month in 2024. Adjusted for route changes, freight volumes were 3.8 per cent lower.
The ferry operator noted that North Sea volumes fell below 2024 levels due to softness on most routes, while Mediterranean volumes decreased as expected following capacity reductions.
In the English Channel, volumes remained on par with the previous year, as new traffic from Jersey routes offset a slowdown in the Dover Strait. Conversely, volumes in the Baltic Sea and Strait of Gibraltar exceeded 2024 levels.
Passenger numbers for the month dropped by 21.5 per cent year-on-year to 203,000. When adjusted for route changes, including the sale of the Oslo-Frederikshavn-Copenhagen route in October 2025 and the exit from the Tarifa-Tanger Ville route in May, passenger volumes were down 10.5 per cent.
The number of cars transported was 6.8 per cent lower than in November 2024 on an adjusted basis.
DFDS stated that higher passenger volumes in the Strait of Gibraltar were offset mainly by lower numbers on the English Channel.
