With effect from 17 August, Samskip is to include a call in Zeebrugge on its ScanBalt service, which links the UK and North Continent with Sweden, Russia and the Baltic states. The service, which currently covers the ports of Hull and Rotterdam, Helsingborg, Klaipeda and Ventspils, will see the 800TEU Samskip Explorer making weekly calls at the PSA HNN terminal in Zeebrugge.
In January of this year, Samskip signed an agreement with PSA HNN to develop a shortsea intermodal facility in Zeebrugge. Samskip already operates a weekly service between Zeebrugge and Dublin using Samskip Explorer’s sistership Samskip Pioneer. Both of these ships are specially designed to load 45ft palletwide containers as well as 30ft bulk containers and heavy 20ft tanks.
Samskip sees Zeebrugge as a perfect port for serving not only Belgium but southern Holland and the north-eastern region of France including Ardennes and Alsace. With excellent barge and rail links, the port also offers the option of fast, eco-friendly links to more distant markets including Italy.
Commenting on the new Baltic link, Samskip Multimodal Container Logistics’ CEO, Jens Holger Nielsen, said:
“We feel that there is a real demand in the market for this service. It should enable many companies to make their supply chains more effective whilst simultaneously rendering them more environmentally and CO2 friendly.
“Using the PSA HNN terminal, we will offer a fast, regular and reliable service out of Zeebrugge into areas of Europe which are growing extremely rapidly. “In September, we expect to add a Polish port call to this service schedule.
”The departure from Zeebrugge is every Friday with a Monday morning arrival in Helsingborg, Sweden. This suits the market ideally. The transit time to Klaipeda and Ventspils will be five days and Moscow 10 - 12 days.”
On this particular Samskip corridor, the Russian market is served using Samskip’s own haulage and rail capabilities between the Baltic states and Russia.
Mr Nielsen added: “We continue to focus on strengthening the multimodal container logistics short sea network we created following the various acquisitions by Samskip in 2005. We have integrated the businesses and expanded and built new multimodal concepts in order to serve our customers allowing them to take advantage of the very environmentally friendly profile of the Samskip service network, which is now one of the largest in Europe. Constant development and adaptation is necessary as the market dynamics are ever changing, particularly over the past three years.”
Samskip acquired the short sea operators Seawheel and Geest in March and October 2005 respectively. Samskip also acquired the door-to-door business of Delphis Team Lines in July 2007.
Samskip is active in three main segments of the market, notably door-to-door multimodal transport using own vessels, rail, barge and road capabilities as well as in the pure quay-to-quay and deep sea feeder segments.
Explaining this integration of the various modes, Mr Nielsen stated: “A number of market operators talk about true multimodal door-to-door transport but we actually do it, taking responsibility for assets and we are therefore able to offer reliable services in an overall challenging European transport environment. We do, however, see these challenges as great opportunities to serve our customers and show what we can do”.
In January of this year, Samskip signed an agreement with PSA HNN to develop a shortsea intermodal facility in Zeebrugge. Samskip already operates a weekly service between Zeebrugge and Dublin using Samskip Explorer’s sistership Samskip Pioneer. Both of these ships are specially designed to load 45ft palletwide containers as well as 30ft bulk containers and heavy 20ft tanks.
Samskip sees Zeebrugge as a perfect port for serving not only Belgium but southern Holland and the north-eastern region of France including Ardennes and Alsace. With excellent barge and rail links, the port also offers the option of fast, eco-friendly links to more distant markets including Italy.
Commenting on the new Baltic link, Samskip Multimodal Container Logistics’ CEO, Jens Holger Nielsen, said:
“We feel that there is a real demand in the market for this service. It should enable many companies to make their supply chains more effective whilst simultaneously rendering them more environmentally and CO2 friendly.
“Using the PSA HNN terminal, we will offer a fast, regular and reliable service out of Zeebrugge into areas of Europe which are growing extremely rapidly. “In September, we expect to add a Polish port call to this service schedule.
”The departure from Zeebrugge is every Friday with a Monday morning arrival in Helsingborg, Sweden. This suits the market ideally. The transit time to Klaipeda and Ventspils will be five days and Moscow 10 - 12 days.”
On this particular Samskip corridor, the Russian market is served using Samskip’s own haulage and rail capabilities between the Baltic states and Russia.
Mr Nielsen added: “We continue to focus on strengthening the multimodal container logistics short sea network we created following the various acquisitions by Samskip in 2005. We have integrated the businesses and expanded and built new multimodal concepts in order to serve our customers allowing them to take advantage of the very environmentally friendly profile of the Samskip service network, which is now one of the largest in Europe. Constant development and adaptation is necessary as the market dynamics are ever changing, particularly over the past three years.”
Samskip acquired the short sea operators Seawheel and Geest in March and October 2005 respectively. Samskip also acquired the door-to-door business of Delphis Team Lines in July 2007.
Samskip is active in three main segments of the market, notably door-to-door multimodal transport using own vessels, rail, barge and road capabilities as well as in the pure quay-to-quay and deep sea feeder segments.
Explaining this integration of the various modes, Mr Nielsen stated: “A number of market operators talk about true multimodal door-to-door transport but we actually do it, taking responsibility for assets and we are therefore able to offer reliable services in an overall challenging European transport environment. We do, however, see these challenges as great opportunities to serve our customers and show what we can do”.