Building bridges for trade

Virtual bridges are being created throughout Northern Europe by DFDS Tor Line. The company is a RoRo and Ro-Pax liner shipping operator, primarily operating on the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, according to Ole Frie, Managing Director of DFDS A/S.
DFDS Tor Line has subsidiaries in Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Latvia and Lithuania and recently DFDS Tor Line acquired AB Lisco Baltic Service and 66 % of DFDS Lys-Line AS. A total of 2,100 persons are employed at sea and ashore and 53 Ro-Ro, Lo-Lo, multipurpose and Ro-Pax vessels are operated on eight bridges in 19 market areas. About 70 % of the volumes are transported on trailers; other cargo carriers are used for “bulk customers” in the industrial shipping logistics transport system. DFDS Tor Line transports a total of approximately eight million lane metres yearly and the turnover is some DKK 3 billion.
Bridges for trade in Europe
When building bridges for trade in Europe, DFDS Tor Line focuses on high reliability and frequent sailings in accordance with our customers’ demands. DFDS Tor Line is growing both organically and through acquisitions enabling us to offer comprehensive transport solutions in Northern Europe.
Five general transport systems
Different types of cargo require individual equipment, handling and service. Consequently, DFDS Tor Line has developed five general transport systems designed to satisfy the market’s requirements by utilising the Ro-Ro technology in full: the Trailer system, the MAFI/Cassette system, the Automotive system, the Lift-unit system and a system for handling Special Cargo.
Shipping Logistics
In addition to the five general transport systems, DFDS Tor Line is under the heading `DFDS Shipping Logistics’ working closely with industrial customers, for whom the shipping element represents a major part of the supply chain. The objective is to achieve cost reductions and service improvements in logistics that benefit these customers, giving them a competitive edge in the market.
Customer benefit – a central concept
In order to achieve the greatest possible customer benefit, DFDS Tor Line focuses on technical and IT development. In 2002 the line took delivery of two new Ro-Pax vessels, and it is building six new state-of-the-art Ro-Ro vessels. Frie says DFDS Tor Line is constantly developing new systems for handling and securing cargo and is continuously adapting the organisation to new and better ways of working. New information systems along the capital expenditure are expected to facilitate and simplify systems and help create additional value for our customers.
InfoBridge
Transport covers both the transportation of cargo and that of information. An efficient flow of information is a prerequisite of an efficient transport system and will become even more important in the future. In order to simplify the information flow, the line has built another “Bridge” – InfoBridge – which connects DFDS Tor Line with its customers.
Quality
Most of DFDS Tor Line’s core operations have been ISO-9000 certified for a number of years. The quality work within the company continues, and all vessels are ISM certified. The Swedish shore-based organisation has obtained the ISO-14001 environmental certification.