In July 2019, a new route was opened between Istanbul and Sète in southern France in addition to the existing route between Istanbul and Toulon.

To further align the route network with customer requirements, several changes have now been implemented.

The two routes between Istanbul and southern France, calling Toulon and Sète re- spectively, are now merged into one route, Istanbul (Yalova)-Sète. Sète offers inter- modal services, is located close to the Spanish border and offers facilities for refrig- erated cargo.

DFDS will now operate three weekly calls to and from Sète where arrivals and de- partures will be aligned with rail service schedules. The termination of sailings to Toulon will regrettably reduce employment in that port.

In Istanbul the route structure has been simplified to reduce operational complexity. All sailings to France from Istanbul, that previously departed from two ports, will now depart only from Yalova. In addition, two weekly sailings to Trieste will depart from Yalova. All other sailings between Istanbul and Trieste will depart from the Pendik and Ambarli port terminals.

The termination of sailings to Toulon will entail a one-off cost to be reported under Special items in the Q4 2019 report.