London Medway sees record rates of unaccompanied freight in April

London Medway, which is part of the Peel Ports Group, is reporting its busiest ever month for unaccompanied freight between the UK and France.

Last month the port broke records after the service, which is run by DFDS, carried nearly 4,000 trailers on its vessels across the channel on its route between Sheerness and Calais.

The route was introduced in June 2021 to expand DFDS’ existing network of services between the UK and Europe and came in response to the growing demand for unaccompanied freight services from cargo owners, hauliers and shipping lines as a way of sidestepping Brexit-related customs delays, driver shortages and storage.

The service uses M/V Botnia Seaways as its dedicated vessel.

Richard Goffin, port director, South East Ports Cluster at Peel Ports said: “These record-breaking achievements are a true testament to the increasing capabilities and efficiencies of our operations at London Medway, as well as our outstanding team without which this wouldn’t have been possible.

“We have invested heavily into our port estate recently, improving resiliency and capacity, providing a more attractive UK entry point over other southern ports.

“Our dedicated RoRo facilities, location and accessibility provide significant benefits for our customers, including DFDS.

“The success of the M/V Botnia Seaways vessel and the wider partnership demonstrates how London Medway is going from strength to strength and is a strong indication for our future success.”