OCTOBER VOLUMES: SOFT MOMENTUM IN EUROPEAN ECONOMIES LOWERS GROWTH
| INVESTOR NEWS no. 35 - 12 November 2025 |
Ferry – freight: Total volumes in October 2025 of 3.6m lane metres were 3.7% below 2024 and 5.7% lower adjusted for route changes. YTD growth rates were -0.3% and -1.6%, respectively.
North Sea volumes were below 2024 following soft volumes on most routes. Mediter-ranean volumes were below 2024 due to amongst other things reduced capacity in response to increased ferry competition.
Channel volumes were below 2024 driven by a slowdown in volumes in the total Dover Strait corridor. Baltic Sea volumes were above 2024 while Strait of Gibraltar volumes were below 2024 owing to capacity changes.
For the last twelve months 2025-24, the total transported freight lane metres increased 1.0% to 41.5m from 41.1m in 2024-23 and decreased 1.5% adjusted for route changes.
Ferry – passenger: The number of passengers in October 2025 was adjusted for route changes* down 5.5% to 331k vs 2024 and the adjusted YTD growth rate was -4.3%. Higher passenger volumes in Strait of Gibraltar were offset by mainly lower Channel volumes, particularly in the coach market. The number of cars in October was 2.3% below 2024 adjusted for route changes.
For the last twelve months 2025-24, the total number of passengers decreased 18.0% to 5.3m compared to 6.5m for 2024-23. The growth rate was -4.0% adjusted for route changes.
*Adjusted for sale of Oslo-Frederikshavn-Copenhagen end October 2025, exit from Tarifa-Tanger Ville early May 2025, and addition of Jersey routes from end March 2025.
| DFDS ferry volumes | |||||||||
| October | Last-12-months | ||||||||
| Freight | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Change | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Change | |
| Lane metres, '000 | 3,424 | 3,776 | 3,637 | -3.7% | 38,454 | 41,095 | 41,523 | 1.0% | |
| Passenger | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Change | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Change | |
| Passengers, '000 | 345 | 458 | 331 | -27.8% | 4,472 | 6,523 | 5,350 | -18.0% | |
DFDS reports monthly ferry volumes for freight and passengers to provide insight into the development of volume trends in our European route network enabling trade and travel in and around Europe. The November 2025 volume report is expected to be published on 12 December 2025 at around 10.00am CET.
Contact
Torben Carlsen, CEO
Karen Boesen, CFO
Søren Brøndholt Nielsen, IR
Dennis Kjærsgaard, Media
About DFDS
We operate a transport network in and around Europe with an annual revenue of DKK 30bn and 16,500 full-time employees.
We move goods in trailers by ferry, road & rail, and we offer complementary and related transport and logistics solutions.
We also move car and foot passengers on short sea and overnight ferry routes.
DFDS was founded in 1866 and headquartered and listed in Copenhagen.
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