DFDS confirmed it has renewed a long-standing agreement to provide ro-ro cargo vessels for the Danish military.

The Copenhagen-headquartered ro-ro cargoship and ro-pax vessel operator has provided support for the Danish Defence forces since 2003, by making available its commercial ro-ro cargoships for charter at short notice.

DFDS vessels have been used for military operations, missions, training exercises and humanitarian disaster relief. They have contributed to many deployments for Denmark, Germany and other Nato allies.

The latest contract will make available eight of DFDS’s ro-ro freight ships, which is one more than under the previous agreement.

Three of the vessels provided were previously upgraded with deck cranes and strengthened upper decks to enable the loading of heavy military cargoes.

“At a time of increasing geopolitical uncertainty, the partnership will support on military operations and missions. The contract extends the scope of the current contract and starts in 2026, running for up to six years,” said DFDS.

The company said that the agreement had been signed with Joint Movement and Transportation Organization and the ARK Project, and replaced the current contract that was signed in 2020.

JMTO is the strategic transport unit of Danish Defence, while ARK is a co-operation between Germany and Denmark to secure access to strategic sea transport.

“We are honoured to have been selected for this critical assignment, and I am proud that we will continue our longstanding co-operation with Danish Defence and the ARK project,” said DFDS chief executive Torben Carlsen.

“It shows the value of strong public-private partnerships that can foster resilience amid growing geopolitical tensions and rising economic uncertainty, and we look forward to contributing with our knowledge about transport and logistics.”