After having successfully started a brand new service between Zeebrugge (BE) and Cork (IE) in May this year, CLdN is poised to introduce a second weekly call in the coming days, to cope with the increasing demand on this route. In light of the end of the transition period of Brexit approaching, combined with the modal shift from accompanied to unaccompanied shipping and having a direct link between the continent and Ireland bypassing the Landbridge, resulted in a booming demand for the Cork service. Adding a second call will allow CLdN’s customers to have a quicker turnaround time of their assets and bypassing the UK avoids any border disruptions, allowing them moving their cargoes in the most effective and cost efficient way between Ireland and the continent. Add to that a low carbon footprint for the entire logistics supply chain helps to explain the quick success of the route.
Customers have welcomed the addition of the Cork service earlier in the year and now wish to see the service expand, giving more flexibility to Irish services as a whole, with this increase meaning CLdN will now offer eight direct sailings per week in each direction, continental Europe (Zeebrugge, Rotterdam) and Ireland, with the ability to carry in excess of a quarter of a million cargo units annually.
A spokesperson states ‘as we have shown and continue to deliver, we will deploy larger vessels or add more frequency to match demand to and from Ireland and will react immediately the market signals a requirement, as we see the Irish market as a core route in our portfolio.’
Over the last months, CLdN have seen a steady growth in customer demand for its reliable, low cost and Brexit -proof unaccompanied freight products. Shipping unaccompanied trailers, (tank) containers, finished vehicles or project cargo between its own ferry terminals provides a ‘one stop shop’ to get goods shipped across the North Sea without running the risk of disruption.
CLdN in the past few years has invested heavily in a fleet of modern vessels with environmentally friendly credentials offering high capacities for freight crossing the North Sea, Irish Sea and Bay of Biscay. The company has maintained its regular sailing schedules on all routes throughout the difficult Covid period and is there to serve the market with robust and reliable products going forwards.
With a network of short sea services, connecting Rotterdam (NL) and Zeebrugge (BE) to London (UK), Humberside (UK), Liverpool (UK), Dublin (IE), Cork (IE) as well as Santander, (ES), Porto (PT) Gothenburg (SE) and Esbjerg (DK), CLdN plays an essential part in the logistics of all types of goods.
On CLdN
European short Sea Ro-Ro specialist CLdN Ro-Ro SA, who operate 30 plus modern Ro-Ro vessels, offering in excess of 130 sailings per week between the ports of Zeebrugge, Rotterdam, London, Humberside, Liverpool, Dublin, Cork, Gothenburg, Esbjerg, Santander and Porto.
CLdN’s core services have traditionally been the Continent / UK, which commenced in December 1974, have steadily expanded their geographical presence into new markets, including Ireland, Sweden, Denmark, Portugal and Spain in recent years.
CLdN currently handle on an annual basis, in excess of 1 million cargo units and 1 million new cars and vans and following an investment in larger vessels and ports, current trades can be expanded, and new routes developed.