30 Lines. The


Issue 2 2014 Freight Business Journal


///IRELAND Ferrymen take the direct approach to Europe


A weekly ro-ro service between Rosslare, St Nazaire on France’s west coast and the northern Spanish port of Gijón, launched in January, will help Ireland forge new trading links, according to LD


French-owned


operator believes the first service to connect the three locations will cut hauliers’ costs and bring them environmental benefits by bypassing the UK land bridge. The route is served by the


Norman Atlantic, which departs Rosslare on Fridays at 21:00, calling first at St Nazaire (Montoir) before sailing on to Gijón. She leaves the Spanish port on Tuesdays at 22:00 and arrives back in Rosslare, again via St Nazaire, on Thursdays at 21:15.


LD Lines has operated the


France-Spain leg of the route since 2010 and hails the addition of Rosslare, together with other new services linking Poole to Gijón and Santander, as a major extension of its ‘Motorways of the Sea’ Atlantic network. The St Nazaire-Gijón service


received initial support from the EC funding programme of that name, but LD Lines CEO Christophe Santoni emphasises that the new routes from Ireland and the UK have had no European subsidy. “They are entirely financed by Louis Dreyfus Armateurs Group,” he says. The Norman Atlantic, built in


2009 by Italian shipyard Visentini, is on long-term charter from Stena RoRo and offers freight capacity of 2,250 lane metres, thus accommodating 110 truck/ trailers or 150 trailers as well as 500 passengers and up to 200 cars. The economics of the year-


round service are typical of the ro-pax business model, based on larger winter freight volumes and a more seasonal passenger market. No special modifications were


required for the route. “The Bay of Biscay demands sufficient engine power and good seakeeping capability,” Santoni says.


“These


vessels are optimal for such operations, and Irish Ferries and Celtic Link are operating the same type between Ireland and Cherbourg.” Direct ferry services to


Europe have become the new battleground, with Stena Line in the process of acquiring Celtic Link’s three times a week service from Rosslare to Cherbourg. The Celtic Horizon, which Ian Davies, Stena Line’s route manager (Irish


Sea South), says will continue to operate the route on a year-round basis, accommodates 120 freight units as well as 200 cars and 1,000 passengers. Stena Line’s chief operating


officer, Michael McGrath, added that the acquisition was


“an


important milestone for Stena Line as for the first time in our history we will be able to offer a direct ferry link between the Republic of Ireland and the Continent.” Final details are currently being


concluded and Stena Line hopes to take over the running of the service from 31 March. Meanwhile, in January,


which opens up the whole of Spain and Portugal, Santoni argues. Overland mileage from Rosslare to Gijon is 1,260 miles, giving a fuel cost of around €915. Ferry crossings increase this total to €1,525. Using LD Lines’ new service,


with crossing times from Rosslare to St Nazaire of 22 hours and on to Gijón of another 16 hours, savings of around €300 are possible at


average freight rates. Drivers accompanying their trailers also get their stipulated rest, ready to continue to onward European destinations. “The Irish economy and its


exports seem to be on a better trend and we hope to benefit from growing flows by providing an original and competitive solution,” Santoni summarises.


Irish


Ferries launched a direct weekend Dublin-Cherbourg service to complement its existing Rosslare- Cherbourg and Rosslare-Roscoff routes.


LD Lines expects the majority


of its Ireland-Spain cargo to be unaccompanied. Freight from and to France will be more mixed as transit time between St Nazaire and Rosslare is similar to that on the competing Cherbourg route, though the Saturday


evening


arrival time precludes immediate road transfers for general freight because of French driving restrictions on Sundays. St Nazaire’s catchment area


covers around 30% of the French population. The city is home to manufacturers such as Airbus and shipbuilder STX, and a gateway to the industrial areas of Brittany and Pays de la Loire, Santoni points out. “The region is also very active in the food industry, so we are looking at local imports and exports. However, transit cargo will be important too, with St Nazaire being much better located than Cherbourg to reach the south and south west of France.” In the same way, he believes


the port of Rosslare is well placed to serve the whole Irish market, including Dublin. “Irish exporters can therefore seek to export all their existing products destined for this part of France.” The distance by road from


Rosslare to St Nazaire via South Wales and crossing to Europe via a shortsea route is 755 miles which equates to a fuel cost of around €525; taking into account the cost of ferry crossings at up to €600, the figure rises to €1,125. Driving time is on average 13 hours, but Santoni points out that the drivers’ eight- hour rest period has to be added into the equation. Similar benefits apply to Gijón,


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