ferry Archives

Eurotunnel Premium Freight Offering

Posted on 13 March, 202331 July, 2025 by David Priestman

Eurotunnel is launching FIRST, a distinctive new service to better meet the needs of freight customers who are looking for additional time savings and dedicated support on their channel crossings.
FIRST is a subscription-based offering which includes a range of innovative services, including priority access to check-in lanes, boarding lanes and to the Douane/SIVEP customs, plant and animal control centres. Digitisation of the customer journey also allows automatic recognition of truck number plates, guaranteeing a smooth and simplified journey.

The service has been tested over several months and the customer satisfaction rate for users exceed 95%. This new offer will reinforce the attractiveness of Le Shuttle Freight and generate additional demand. In the long term, subscriptions to FIRST could represent up to 10% of the volume of freight traffic.

Cross-channel Freight

Deborah Merrens, Eurotunnel Chief Commercial Officer, said: “This new commercial proposition is an answer to the increasing demand for speed and fluidity from our customers and strengthens Eurotunnel Le Shuttle Freight’s leadership in the cross-Channel market. The success of the test phase already demonstrates the relevance of this new service.”

Eurotunnel Le Shuttle Freight claims to be the most convenient, cost-effective and sustainable way to transport goods between the UK and Europe, making it the leading solution for businesses dependent on their supply chain. By crossing the Channel using the Eurotunnel, vehicles emit 12 times less CO2 than if they were to take the same journey by ferry. Logistics companies rely on this service because of its speed and efficiency, enabling them to deliver goods with confidence. Eurotunnel Le Shuttle Freight operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, with up to one departure every 10 minutes at peak times. In 2022, the annual number of trucks who travelled on board Le Shuttle Freight was 1.45 million.

New UK-Belgium Ferry Sailings

Posted on 21 February, 202331 July, 2025 by David Priestman

P&O Ferries is joining forces with Finnlines to boost the flow of trade between Belgium and the UK by introducing new ferry sailings on the Zeebrugge-Teesport route.

In response to increased customer demand, P&O Ferries will charter Finnlines’ MS Finnpulp for three days a week under a new services agreement. This move will increase the overall number of P&O Ferries sailings to six and give customers more options on the key trading route between Britain and the Continent.

Peter Hebblethwaite, Chief Executive of P&O Ferries, said: “We are delighted to announce that in co-operation with Finnlines we will support the UK and European economies by increasing freight capacity and strengthening resilience on the key Teesport – Zeebrugge route. This expansion of our services in response to what our customers are telling us they want demonstrates our commitment to providing vitally important trade routes for UK exporters and trading partners.”

“We have made changes to our business so that we can flex our offer in line with market demand and are now focused on growth. We are determined to make P&O Ferries the best ferry company in Europe, which means the best ships, the best routes and the best value for tourist and freight customers.”

Tom Pippingsköld, President and CEO of Finnlines Plc, added: “We have been pleased by our partnership in Zeebrugge since September 2021 and are delighted to strengthen it further by this contract. We are confident this will be a new and successful milestone for Finnlines and P&O Ferries co-operation on the North Sea.”

From 28th February the new sailings will operate from Tuesdays to Thursdays, ensuring that freight customers will have an increased level of capacity during the midweek peak. MS Finnpulp has a capacity for 3,259 lane metres of cargo, equivalent to around 225 trailers. On its return to Zeebrugge, the vessel will be discharged and loaded for Finnlines’ service between Zeebrugge and Rosslare, Ireland. P&O Ferries will also provide stevedoring and ship handling services for Finnlines’ Zeebrugge to Rosslare route as part of the freight services partnership.

P&O Ferries also operates routes between Zeebrugge and Tilbury and Zeebrugge and Hull respectively, giving it the most comprehensive North Sea coverage of any ferry operator.

Culina acquires IRF Transport

Posted on 3 January, 202331 July, 2025 by David Priestman

Culina Group, a leading provider of shared-user FMCG logistics services, has announced an agreement to take over International Road Ferry (IRF) as from Tuesday 3rd January 2023. The terms of the agreement, including consideration, have not been disclosed.

International Road Ferry is a major player in the transport market with offices in Rotterdam, Grubbenvorst (Venlo), Felixstowe and Thetford and specialises in unaccompanied transport between Great Britain, the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland both full loads and part loads.

The business has over 25 years of experience in the unaccompanied transport to and from these markets and their knowledge, local offices and short communication lines guarantee first class and reliable customer service.

Culina Group has significantly strengthened its position in the European Logistics Sector with this acquisition. International Road Ferry will benefit from Group ownership which will provide investment and job retention whilst bringing an entrepreneurial spirit.

“International Road Ferry and Culina Group are complementary businesses, both are strong organisations with well-earned reputations in the industry and hold similar values. This is a great fit which is going to be beneficial for both our staff and for our clients, whilst making Culina Group a key player in European transport”, said Thomas van Mourik, Culina Group CEO,

“It goes without saying that we are acquiring some excellent people, contracts and facilities. This move significantly expands our European network and will enable us to benefit from synergies and efficiencies that will improve our service offer to customers even further.”

Going forward it will be business as usual for International Road Ferry which will sit within Culina Group’s Stobart Intermodal operation headed up by Arthur Koutstaal as Managing Director.

Raff Hustinx, Stobart Europe Managing Director, will be assisting with finance and reporting.

“Culina Group recognises that it is investing in a highly successful business with its own great spirit. Our aim is to now support our growth trajectory with the added infrastructure and resources of the overall Culina Group. The combining of our two businesses will create major opportunities for significantly growing market share.” said Antoine Ligtvoet, CEO, International Road Ferry.

The primary aim for Culina Group is to ensure that all current and prospective customers continue to benefit from market-leading levels of service.

Working hand-in-hand with global leading brands and manufacturers plus a multitude of own-label producers and developing companies Culina Group’s strategic focus is on food & drink logistics within a shared-user environment, driven by volume and critical mass to deliver efficient and cost-effective solutions for clients of all sizes.

Culina Group is an established market-leading ambient and chilled food & drink 3PL specialist providing warehousing, distribution, contract packing, and services for bonded goods across the UK and Ireland. The Group includes well known businesses including – Culina Logistics, Great Bear, Stobart, Stobart Europe, iForce, The Pallet Network, Logistics People, Fowler Welch, CML, Morgan McLernon, IPS, MMiD, and Warrens.

Culina Group now has an overall turnover of more than £2.2 Billion, a combined workforce in excess of 22,000 employees at peak, over 20 million square feet of warehousing and a joint fleet of more than 5,000 vehicles.

New Gateways for Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania

Posted on 10 March, 2021 by Keith McKinley

Two high-performance ports are scoring this year as new gateways for on the island of Rügen: The industrial port “Mukran Port” as well as the “City-Port Sassnitz”.

Mukran Port is virtually predestined as an industrial port with the fastest catamaran connection for travel between Sweden and Germany, especially for day trips to Ystad, southern Sweden. After a longer time out due to Corona, regular excursions to the Danish island of Bornholm will now take place again starting April.

The city harbor of Sassnitz, on the other hand, is an optimal port within in the city center. A Museum as well as snack- and fish- trawlers have their constant position here. The marina offers its various services for sports and leisure ships as well as for large and traditional sailing vessels. In the surrounding commercial areas, regional products and specialties are offered for sale. Additionally, several artists have set up their studios and salesrooms in the Sassnitz town harbor. The diverse offer consisting of art, culture, gastronomy, trade and commerce is complemented by special events and promotions. From the city port of Sassnitz, further attractions as well as the spectacular natural landscape of Ruegen can be reached via short distances. “Both ports are indispensable for maritime tourism in our region” says Yana Grundke, Cruise Coordinator Mukran Port/ City-Port Sassnitz GmbH.

It´s no surprise that the smaller Baltic ports attract the attention of the public; after all, individual market shipping companies now account for around 25 percent of calls in the Baltic region.

The aim of the association is to improve the tourist potential of Rügen and to make the neighboring tourist regions more accessible to ferry and cruise passengers and therefore to establish a new branch of the tourism industry. The association closely cooperates with existing institutions, which are also engaged in tourism promotion. The association is open for membership to all those who are economically or personally interested in the development of the Cruise & Ferry Destination Rügen as a tourist location.

10000 Units Transported on Dunkerque-Rosslare Line

Posted on 8 March, 2021 by Keith McKinley

The Danish company DFDS Seaways has just announced the introduction of a fourth ship from 1 April on the ferry line between Dunkerque and Rosslare. The announcement confirms the success of the link, launched with three vessels on 2 January.

On 1 April next, the “Ark Dania”, a RoRo type vessel with a capacity of 188 freight units, will complete the fleet on the Dunkerque-Rosslare route, alongside the “Visby”, “Kerry” and “Drotten”.
The route provides exporters and transport companies with a direct, document-free journey for lorries between the Republic of Ireland and the other countries of the European Union, implying lower costs, less waiting time as well as the possibility of avoiding the customs procedures which now apply to transport via the British ‘landbridge’.

Aidan Coffey, Route Director for DFDS Seaways Ireland, is delighted with the addition of this fourth vessel to the fleet: “This ferry will be the flagship for our route. She is highly manoeuvrable, and is capable of transporting a wide range of cargo, mainly consisting of unaccompanied trailers and 12 trucks accompanied by drivers. The addition to our service will free up capacity on our three other vessels for more trucks accompanied by a driver. We are facing strong demand from all sectors of industry seeking to use the direct route to northern central Europe”.

Daniel Deschodt, Interim Chairman of the Executive Board, said: “European carriers and shippers are responding very favourably to this new post-Brexit offering tailored to meet their expectations. Indeed, since the first port call in Dunkerque on 2 January, the service totalled no less than 10,000 units at the beginning of March. With eight weekly round trips to and from Ireland, in the space of only four months the Port of Dunkerque has become the European mainland port with the highest number of round trips for ro-ro services to Ireland. The new traffic is also generating increased business and genuine added value for logistics warehouses located in the vicinity of the port. With this fourth ship, Dunkerque is more than ever the port for the British Isles!”

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