LD Lines was a French shipping company, with both roro freight and passenger ferry operations. It was a subsidiary of Louis Dreyfus Armateurs (LDA), which engages in building, owning, operating, and managing vessels. LD Lines operated ferry routes on the English Channel, the Bay of Biscay and the Mediterranean Sea. In 2013, part of LD Lines was spun off and merged with the English Channel operations of DFDS Seaways to form DFDS Seaways France. In September 2014, the Poole-Gijon/Santander route closed and the Norman Asturias was immediately laid up off the coast of Saint Nazaire. In mid-September 2014, the Saint Nazaire-Gijon route was suspended and the Norman Asturias was sent to Algeciras and the Norman Atlantic to Messina. History Le Havre–Portsmouth LD Lines' English Channel operations commenced in October 2005, operating between Portsmouth, England and Le Havre, France. This service was introduced following the withdrawal of P&O Ferries' long-standing operation on this route. Initially there was one sailing per day in each direction, with the Portsmouth–Le Havre sailing taking place overnight. This utilised one vessel, the MS Norman Spirit, which is ironically a former P&O vessel (used on their Dover–Calais route until May 2005). In 2008 the Norman Voyager was introduced on the route, she was withdrawn in September 2009 and chartered to Celtic Link Ferries for service between Cherbourg and Rosslare and Cherbourg and Portsmouth. In November 2009 Norman Spirit was moved to the Dover–Boulogne route, her place was taken by Cote d'Albatre, which remained on the route until the Norman Spirits return in 2011. On 13 July 2007 it was reported that LD Lines had ordered a new ro-pax ferry for the route from Singapore Technologies Engineering, with an option for another ship of the same type. The ship, the Norman Leader, was to be capable of carrying 1215 passengers and enter service in 2010 on the Le Havre–Portsmouth route. On 17 March 2011, the contract for the purchase of the vessel was cancelled. Reasons given for the cancellation were the delays and questions about the tonnage. The Norman Spirit resumed sailing on the Portsmouth–Le Havre route in early 2011, but was chartered to DFDS Seaways in November 2011 to increase capacity on the Dover–Dunkirk route following the collapse of Seafrance. Norman Spirit's place was taken by the Norman Voyager. The Portsmouth-Le Havre service was transferred to DFDS Seaways France in 2013, fully marketed as a DFDS Seaways