Multimodal logistics giant CLdN is promising to increase sailing frequencies from the UK and boost road freight services after purchasing Dutch operator Samskip’s quay-to-quay and door-to-door freight business between the Continent and UK & Ireland.
The acquisition covers the container shipping services currently operated by Samskip between the Dutch port of Rotterdam and the UK ports of Belfast, Blythe, Grangemouth, Hull and Tilbury and the Irish ports of Cork, Dublin and Waterford.
These services carry out more than 1,000 port calls every year, transporting cargo for a broad customer base, including blue chip consumer goods manufacturers.
The transaction also covers the door-to-door cargo services connecting the UK and Ireland with continental Europe, including the transfer of the lease agreements for more than 5,000 multimodal cargo units including 45ft pallet-wide containers, refrigerated containers and curtain-side containers; 40ft and 45ft flat racks and 40ft high-cube refrigerated containers.
Both parties have agreed not to disclose financial details related to the transaction.
Announcing the purchase CLdN said that, once regulatory clearance is confirmed and the deal is closed, it will provide its new customers with a “seamless continuation of the services currently offered by Samskip.”
Certain supplier agreements will also be transferred to CLdN, including contracts related to road haulage, rail and barge connections, vessel sharing and port operating agreements.
CLdN said the deal will boost its short-sea container shipping offering for existing and new customers between mainland Europe, the UK and Ireland.
It said the acquisition aligns with CLdN’s strategy of providing complementary roll-on / roll-off (RoRo) services for mixed cargo and lift-on / lift-off (LoLo) services specifically for containers.
The company also added that the transaction will “significantly enhance” the scale of CLdN’s door-to-door multimodal activities with the integration of a broader fleet with wider network reach, particularly between the UK & Ireland and Central & Eastern Europe.
Commenting on the transaction, Florent Maes, CLdN chief executive, said: “This transaction is highly complementary to CLdN’s existing shipping and multimodal activities.
“Customers will benefit from an even broader array of shipping options, increased sailing frequency and enhanced door-to-door equipment and services.
“CLdN has a long history of connecting mainland Europe with the UK and Irish markets and we look forward to further developing these reliable, flexible and environmentally efficient connections.
“We are also delighted that we will welcome new colleagues to our CLdN team and are excited by the prospect of growing CLdN’s business together in the coming years.”
Ólafur Orri Ólafsson, Samskip chief executive, added: “We at Samskip are very confident about this transaction.
“It will allow us to focus on the key strategic markets of the future, where we will continue to invest in our organization and further develop our longer-distance trades where we deliver the most value to our customers.
“At the same time, selling the UK and Ireland trades to a strong partner will secure the continuation of this trade and guarantee a high coverage for our customers in the respective markets.”
