Continental Cargo Carriers in £4.2m fleet expansion amid surge in demand

Continental Cargo Carriers (CCC) has announced an investment worth €4.2m to expand its fleet by 42%.

A total of 156 new trailers will be added to the company's portfolio in the coming months - its biggest single investment since being acquired by Europa Worldwide Group in 2018.

The cross-channel Ro-Ro specialist currently operates 270 trailers from its warehouse bases in Dartford and Belgium. It said the relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions had created "immense demand" for the transportation of goods between the UK and Europe.

“There has been a remarkable increase in our daily full- and part-load consignment traffic volumes over the past year," said CCC general manager Carlo Turner. "As lockdowns eased and the UK economy bounced back, CCC has never been busier.

“We’re now delivering more than an average 22,000 loads. This increased demand has come from customers of all sizes, across all sectors, and in all countries that we serve.

“It was always a corporate objective to expand our operations within the next year, but we have brought the time frame forward because our revised economic forecasts were so positive.”

The expansion reflects the market rebound after the shock of the global pandemic, a trend CCC said was set to continue according to leading analysts.

Major UK ports saw a decline in the number of Ro-Ro vehicles being handled at UK ports in 2020, down 31% on 2019 levels to 12.3m units - the lowest since records began.

Read more

• Brexit and Covid a “huge test” but we’re back to normal, insists Continental Cargo Carriers
• Europa Worldwide Group buys Continental Cargo Carriers
• Europa Worldwide forecasts record profits for this year and next

However, National Statistics data from mid-2021 indicates Ro-Ro increases can be interpreted as a return to the more normal levels seen prior to the pandemic.

A big focus for the company this year has been increasing staff numbers and training opportunities. It is currently set to welcome four new starters to its business development, managerial and operational divisions.

“Increasing the scope of talent within CCC is a further priority for the business," Turner added. "As we move our expansion strategy up a gear, it is crucial that we have the right team in place so we can harness the skills within our dedicated team and push towards our growth objectives.

“We have always prided ourselves on our long history of delivering high-quality, streamlined logistics services to our customers, but with a personal touch.

“The time is right to enhance our existing workforce as CCC continues to go from strength to strength. It is vital that we plan for the future to stay ahead of the curve.”

The company said the deployment of improved IT capabilities across the business had also delivered greater visibility in performance. In response to Brexit, it created Continental Flow, a Delivery Duty Paid (DDP) product to keep imports and exports running smoothly.

“It has been a tough few months but we have weathered the combined Covid and Brexit storm," Turner said. "We are delighted to now be focusing our attention on these exciting investment plans, whilst consolidating our position in the UK and European markets as one of the safest and most trusted logistics partners.”