P&O Archives

Tilbury to Europoort Route Capacity Increased

Posted on 7 February, 2025 by Keith McKinley

P&O Ferries has announced a boost to capacity on its London/Tilbury – Rotterdam/Europoort route, starting from 2nd March 2025.

Following a successful launch of the new route in 2024, a second vessel will be added to the route, which will continue to offer 12 sailings per week with daily departures from both Tilbury and Europoort. The ships Norsky and Norstream will cover the route, increasing capacity by up to 60 per cent.

Peter Hebblethwaite, CEO of P&O Ferries, said:

“We are delighted to be able to offer greater capacity to our freight customers on our successful service between Tilbury and Europoort. The schedule provides early morning unloading for London, giving customers more options to make the best use of their fleet and their drivers’ time – along with more opportunities for intermodal transport.

“Our freight team are ready to help customers optimise costs by securing deliveries to the UK, meeting all the requirements of port and customs processes and running smoothly during peak periods.”

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Largest Music and Video Warehouse Opens

Posted on 8 August, 202331 July, 2025 by David Priestman

DP World, a leading provider of global end-to-end supply chain solutions, will this month open the UK’s largest distribution warehouse for physical music and video. Located in Bicester, Oxfordshire, the facility is being launched in partnership with Utopia Distribution Services, who entered into a £100 million deal with DP World to provide warehousing and logistics for physical music goods in the UK earlier this year.

The 25,000 sq. metre site will now become the de-facto centre for music and home entertainment distribution in the UK, handling 70% of physical music and 35% of home entertainment products sold in the UK annually – approximately 30 million units, including vinyl records, DVDs and CDs. It will service retailers across the UK, including Amazon, HMV, industry wholesalers and over 400 independent record stores.

The warehouse will have a daily handling capacity of over 100,000 units, increasing to over 250,000 during peak periods, driven by 80+ state of the art pick robots designed by US manufacturer Locus Robotics. The warehouse will employ 240 workers, and will significantly expand DP World’s unit handling capacity across its UK operations – facilitating new growth opportunities in the warehousing sector.

The warehouse opening follows ongoing demand for physical music and video in the UK, with 17.3m physical albums sold in 2022, with CDs comprising the majority of purchases (55.2%). Selling more than 5.5m units last year, vinyl also continues its rise and currently remains on track for a 16th consecutive year of growth. The video physical retail market also boasted a £209m value in 2022, with sales of formats like Blu-ray and 4k UHD rising by 7% to £91.7m YOY.

Jonathan Himsworth, Vice President Sales at DP World Logistics, said: “DP World brings together an unparalleled combination of assets and expertise to build creative solutions to the hardest problems in logistics, and this is why so many of the world’s largest and most recognisable brands trust us to deliver on their supply chain needs. To this end, we are very excited about working with Utopia Music to support the renaissance of physical music in the UK.”

Drew Hill, MD Utopia Distribution Services and VP Distribution Services, Utopia Music, added: “We’re pleased to be working closely with DP World on a smooth transition to our brand new state-of-the-art facility. With UDS distributing for over 50% of the UK’s combined music and video market, our investment in this infrastructure marks a bright and exciting future for physical entertainment.”

In addition to its UK hubs at London Gateway and Southampton, DP World’s offer includes the P&O Ferries and P&O Ferrymasters subsidiaries, and contract logistics businesses respectively, all of which are being integrated into the company’s global network. Operating in 78 countries, DP World now handles 10 per cent of world trade.

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.

Transport of Villas for Red Sea Resort

Posted on 7 February, 2023 by Keith McKinley

P&O Maritime Logistics, a leading provider of critical logistics and marine solutions, will use its versatile Multi Carrying Vessel (MCV) fleet to transport off-site manufactured pre-finished volumetric hotel villas to the Sheybarah Island Resort on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Coast.

P&O Maritime Logistics has signed a new contract with global heavy lifting and transport specialist Mammoet to transport the unique hotel villas, all the way from Hamriyah to the Sheybarah Island Resort.

The two companies are supporting Red Sea Global in its ambitious project, which champions regenerative tourism and sustainable development in the Kingdom.

The Sheybarah Island Resort is a cornerstone project and part of the Saudi 2030 vision and will consist of a total of 73 uniquely shaped and prefabricated villas, some of which will hover above the island’s diverse ecosystem. The stainless-steel orbs were conceptualised by Oppenheim Architecture, based in Miami and designed by Killa Design, the same designers of Dubai’s Museum of the Future, promising a unique experience for guests when the resort opens. With mangroves, beaches and coral reefs, the resort will utilise the latest sustainable and eco-friendly technologies to preserve and enhance the local environment.

The MCVs selected for the project were serviced in drydock facilities before the contract in order to limit their possible impact on local marine life – and their ballast systems were filled with water from the Red Sea to reduce the chance of introducing foreign organisms. Additionally, the shallow draft of MCVs and with the versatile thruster arrangement used on P&O Maritime Logistics vessels mean that there will be minimal disturbance of the shallow seabed.

Additionally, The MCVs’ shallow draft makes them an ideal vessel for accessing areas where larger ships are unable to fit due to their size. The MCVs have the unique ability to allow efficient and timely delivery to site using the just-in-time principle, with minimal congestion for the production facility and project site, delivering a cost-effective customer solution.

Martin Helweg, CEO of P&O Maritime Logistics, said: “As a company headquartered in Dubai, we regularly operate in the Red Sea and around the Middle East. It is particularly exciting that our MCV fleet has been so successful in this region on a variety of projects.”

P&O Maritime Logistics, a subsidiary of DP World, recently chartered a new route between the Port of Jeddah and Port Sudan, where its MCV fleet is carrying containers across the Red Sea for the first time, brining additional volumes and reducing waiting times for main line carriers.

Helweg continued: “We are also delighted to be supporting Mammoet in the development of the Sheybarah Island Resort, as part of Red Sea Global’s Red Sea mandate. Sustainability is at the heart of our business, and transporting the villas is just one example of how we are increasing our capacity for projects that promote sustainable development.”

P&O Maritime Logistics owns and operates 400 vessels worldwide, providing a wide portfolio of value-add services to customers. Guided by DP World‘s industry-leading approach to sustainability, P&O Maritime Logistics supports its customers in building a more sustainable future by creating flexible solutions and ensuring both operational efficiency and excellence.

Jad Ayoub, Project Director for Mammoet said: “We are pleased to have P&O Maritime Logistics supporting us with the shipment of villas for the Sheybarah Island Resort. We have selected P&O Maritime Logistics for its vessels with shallower drafts that will have minimal impact on the sensitive marine environment of the Red Sea. With Mammoet’s ongoing commitment to sustainability and sustainability being the vision for the project, it was crucial to partner with a company that ensures their operations and values are aligned with ours.”

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