Wednesday, August 4, 2010

New Container Shipping Service Into Norway

Samskip Announce Netherlands - Scandinavia Link
Shipping News Feature

NETHERLANDS – GERMANY – NORWAY - Samskip Multimodal Container Logistics are to introduce a new weekly service linking the Netherlands with Norway’s West Coast. The route commenced bi-weekly in June but necessity demands a doubling of capacity from the end of August to cater for increased demand during the fish season. The container and reefer service is on a door-to-door basis, whilst offering a quay-to-quay service for shippers’ owned containers.

Services will run between Rotterdam and Hamburg and the ports of Stavanger, Haugesund, Bergen and Ålesund in Norway with fixed departure days and open up Western Norway to the Samskip pan-European network. Calling at both the RST and ECT terminals in Rotterdam, the port is being used as the main hub for the hinterland of Benelux, France and Germany and offers links to Samskip’s other multimodal and shortsea services to the UK, Ireland, Spain, Portugal and Italy. The service will depart the end of the week to arrive in Norway early the week after.

Caesar Luikenaar, Route Manager Norway Services at Samskip Multimodal Container Logistics commented:

“Adding the West Coast of Norway has been a logical decision for us. Until recently, Norway was being served via the main ports in the Oslofjord. Oncarriage to the West Coast was carried out through a combination of rail and road transport, resulting in additional transit time and cost.

“With this new direct connection, we are offering direct calls on Norway’s West Coast that are very cost competitive and lead to faster and reduced transit times. Since the Oslofjord service had already been well established, it was obvious to expand the Norwegian network further. In addition to this geographical expansion, Samskip will also introduce 45ft containers to this market, enabling customers to switch from using trailer cargo to the more environmentally friendly transport method of waterborne 45ft containers.

“Together with Frigocare (our coldstore in Alesund) and our partner Coolboxx, we will offer both 40ft and 45ft reefer units, which are ideal for fish and other fresh commodities. We can thus cater for reefer business to and from the North West Continent through Hamburg and Rotterdam but also create connections to the rest of our vast network thus covering Iberia, Ireland, UK etc.”