Danish ferry and RoRo specialist DFDS has announced that it has acquired the ferry company FRS Iberia/Maroc, which is a division of the German short-sea ferry company FRS GmbH & Co. KG.
FRS Iberia/Maroc operates three short-sea ferry routes across the Strait of Gibraltar connecting the countries of Spain and Morocco, and has 750 employees, as DFDS mentions in its statement.
CEO of DFDS, Torben Carlsen says that “We are excited to expand our network to one of Europe’s significant ferry markets that we expect will continue to show high growth underpinned by the ongoing nearshoring of supply chains to Europe.”
Mathieu Girardin, Head of DFDS’ Ferry Division and EVP also says that “This is a great opportunity to scale DFDS’ business model. We will apply our capabilities and experience, not least from the Channel short-sea market, to further develop the Strait of Gibraltar ferry infrastructure while supporting regional tourism and trade.”
CEO FRS Group, Götz Becker says that “FRS Iberia/Maroc has achieved great success for more than two decades. We are pleased to have found a partner in DFDS who will run the company in a proven manner to ensure its continued growth and take good care of our employees.”
DFDS mentions that the acquisition is aligned with their strategy to develop and expand the transport network focused on moving goods in trailers by ferry, road & rail as well as moving passengers.
This FRS Iberia/Maroc acquisition expands DFDS’ Mediterranean route network that today already connects Europe with Türkiye and Europe with Tunisia.