After confirming DFDS Seawaysas operator of the Newhaven-Dieppe route for a further five years, the French Seine-Maritime Department announced changes to the service. Theseinclude an extension of night crossings to enhance passenger comfort; additional weekend sailings in the summer high season to meet demand; and trips in the winter months, which would be almost empty, willbe eliminated.
There will also be major expenditure on the route’s two 2006-built/18,425gt Transmancheowned vessels, Côte d’Albâtre and Seven Sisters, including new hull coatings for fuel optimisation, while Duty Free shops on each vessel will be enlarged. Investment is also planned to improve the onboard experience for truck drivers, with a new lounge and the addition of 40 bed pods to make more of the vessels’ 49 two-berth cabins available for passengers.