NEWS\\\


A new cooperation deal with Dutch-owned Spliethoff subsiidary Transfennica will return P&O Ferries to the UK/Spain freight market aſter several years’ absence. Under a new cooperation deal


with Transfennica, based on a new hub operation in Zeebrugge, Transfennica will move its existing Zeebrugge-Bilbao con ro service in the Belgian port to the P&O Ferries berth (113) with P&O handling the stevedoring operation. Routes available from the


UK to Bilbao are Tilbury, Hull and Teesport connecting with Transfennica Iberia’s two departures a week in each direction between Zeebrugge and Bilbao, on Tuesdays and Fridays, with a crossing time of 38 hours. Typical journey times from the UK to Bilbao would be about 60 hours, said a P&O Ferries spokesman, who added that the all-water option would be cheaper and greener than trucking across Europe. As such, the new operation is very much in the spirit of the European Union’s Motorways of the Sea concept, which aims to move traffic off the roads onto water. However, it would not qualify for such funding as it is based on existing services. P&O Ferries used to operate


passenger and freight services from Portsmouth to Bilbao, but freight capacity was limited and the service was withdrawn aſter passenger bookings were hit by the recession. Transfennica, owned by the


Dutch Spliethoff shipping group, will handle the bookings for the complete service and an EDI link will be set up between the two operators’ systems. Customers will be able to make a single booking and will receive a single invoice for the entire journey. Transfennica itself will no longer call Tilbury but customers can now book Bilbao to Tilbury, Hull and Teesport on one


ticket. The service will be available for


unaccompanied trailers, containers and driver accompanied trucks. The service would also be able to cater for unaccompanied reefer units – refrigerated produce is a major component of the Iberia/ UK trade - which could be plugged into the vessel power supply while at sea but would have to rely on their on-board power while on the dockside awaiting transshipment, said the P&O spokesman. Special arrangements may have to be made to identify units that needed plugging in or their onboard reefers turned on, the spokesman added. Transhipment trailers will be


loaded on specific sections of the incoming vessel so that they can be identified and, if necessary, given priority unloading – although as most connections will be eight hours or more, this was unlikely to be a major issue, said P&O’s spokesman. He added that the transhipment operation could use spare resources in between vessel arrivals and departures in Zeebrugge. Ronny Daelman, sales director,


P&O Ferries, said he had been closely watching the development of Transfennica’s service to and from Spain, adding: “With pressure on road hauliers with the economic situation, fuel prices, the working time directive and congestion on expensive French motorways, this service is a perfect alternative to the road.” Transfennica director Michael


van den Heuvel, added: “Large numbers of trucks drive between the UK to Spain and Portugal. Today the vast majority are going driver accompanied. In future we hope that more and more companies will use our joint concept. UK and Continental trailer operators are also used to unaccompanied solutions so they can really start


Maersk promises simpler shipping


Maersk Line is promising an end to shipping surcharge complexity with a new charging structure that it will phase in during 2013. It says there will be fewer and more transparent charges and it will make costs easier to understand. Under phase 1 of its the


programme, which starts on 1 January, basic ocean freight, cargo declaration data fees, Panama or Suez transit fees, river toll charges (where applicable),


the carrier


security charge and the currency adjustment factor will be rolled into the basic ocean freight. In phase 2, Maersk promises to


clean up “the complex landscape of local surcharges”. Maersk promises to maintain a broad catalogue of optional, value- adding services, whilst other charges will be combined into a single service charge for origin and destination respectively, local regulations permitting.


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making savings.” P&O’s spokesman did not rule


out similar joint operations on the Continent, if the Transfennica venture is a success. P&O Ferries also operates services from the UK to Rotterdam, from where a wide variety of services connect to different parts of Europe or even further afield. Transfennica itself also operates other services from Zeebrugge to, for example, Russia or the Baltic, although it already has direct services from the UK to some


Issue 1 2013


JV brings P&O Ferries back to Spain passenger and


destinations. It is also possible that P&O might add new routes into Zeebrugge or augment existing


ones if the hub operation proves successful. Jon Clarke, freight director at


3


Brittany Ferries, which operates direct


freight


services from Portsmouth to Bilbao and Santander in northern Spain, said that he did not anticipate much effect from the new joint venture. “I don’t wish to knock anyone else’s efforts, but we do it in 24 hours, with a product that is specifically aimed at the driver-accompanied market.” Brittany does however also handle a substantial number of unaccompanied trailers – around 20-25% of its total freight carryings.


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