Samskip expands short sea network with liner service Grangemouth - Amsterdam
This past Saturday, the ms Vanquish of multimodal logistics company Samskip was welcomed at TMA Logistics in the port of Amsterdam. This reception marked the start of a new container liner service between the Scottish port of Grangemouth (owned by Forth Ports) and Amsterdam, Samskip said in its release.
Over the past months, Samskip has significantly increased its services in Amsterdam, utilising the geographical location, hinterland connections and competitive advantages of the port to take advantage of recent and future market developments. This aligns with the strategic focus of Port of Amsterdam on the further development of its short sea and intermodal propositions.
This new service is an important step a few months before Brexit. There is increasing demand for reliable and efficient connections between the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, that will perform their tasks even in new, complex situations. Additionally, Samskip sees growing demand from the Scottish market for transport options to continental Europe, including for food & beverages, paper and steel products. The port of Amsterdam traditionally has a strong trade relationship with the United Kingdom and this connections offers additional options for exporters to and importers from the Scottish and the North of England markets.
The short sea and intermodal connections have continued to grow in the port of Amsterdam over the last couple of months. In August, a direct rail service was launched between Amsterdam – Duisburg and Amsterdam – Wuhan by Samskip and Nunner Logistics. The cargo that is transported from Asia to Amsterdam is mostly destined for the British market and therefore plugs right into the short sea connections to the United Kingdom. In addition to Grangemouth, there are liner services to Hull and Tilbury. Moreover, TMA Logistics also welcomed a new liner service to Norway, connecting the ports of Stavanger, Haugesund and Bergen to Amsterdam. These developments underline the attractiveness of short sea in the port of Amsterdam.
The Port of Grangemouth plays a key role in Scotland’s logistics and freight sector and this additional call will increase the frequency of vessels connecting to mainland Europe and provide an enhancement to the current offering from the Port to the Scottish Market.
