IRELAND\\\


Samskip sees post- Brexit opportunities


Multimodal operator Samskip believes its experience in door-to-door services connecting Ireland and North Continental Europe will prove


The wrangle over the terms under which goods will move across the EU’s new westerly border after Brexit from March 2019 continues, but some freight operators see an opportunity, rather than a problem. The UK remains the Republic


(behind the


decisive in its post-Brexit business growth. Archer concedes that


Archer (pictured). In making four Irish calls - twice weekly at Dublin, Waterford and Cork, and weekly at Belfast – Samskip’s pair of 900teu capacity containerships sustain a port rotation that keeps


road minimum,


of Ireland’s number one export partner by value, and number two for imports


US), but its role as a landbridge between Ireland and the rest of the EU will be compromised at the hands of customs and excise. While precise transit figures are not known, the Irish Freight Transport Association estimates that 40% of the 475,925 containers shipped


in


distances line


to with


sustainable transport policy. Fast modal response


Alive to the speed advantage that has been at the root of landbridging success, Samskip recently added a new wheeled option to its Continent-Ireland link during the summer, collecting 13.6m length trailers in Germany and the Benelux countries for delivery by sea into Dublin. Archer believes the


to the UK in 2017 headed for destinations elsewhere in the EU via ports such as Dover or Hull, or the Channel Tunnel. Samskip, the Rotterdam-


based multimodal operator offering separate shortsea services connecting the Netherlands to the UK and the island of Ireland, certainly believes it will grow its unitised volumes in both parts of Ireland post-Brexit. Today, lo-lo operations


represent around 15% of Ireland’s unitised traffic, according to Samskip Ireland general manager, Richard


economies of scale available to Samskip as a pan-European multimodal operator with scheduled services throughout its network will prove telling in a post-Brexit world. “We have the infrastructure, experience and processes to take care of every aspect of door-door deliveries between Ireland and all EU destinations. This is a measured response to the market based on that experience. Our expectation is that we can grow the trailer business to around 25-30 units a week in each direction, and that this will be in addition to lo-lo traffic,” he says. The company is not alone


in ramping up direct freight services between Ireland and continental Europe, while its entry into the wheeled market comes at a time when the country’s hauliers are making plans of their own to bypass British ports


after


Brexit. Significant new ro- ro tonnage recently entered the market connecting ports in the Benelux countries


to


Dublin, for example, while new ferry capacity is available Dublin-Cherbourg, and Cork- Santander.


a its


Samskip’s island of Ireland services will not be entirely immune to the Brexit challenge, presuming that Belfast will become a hub for clearance activities after March 2019. However, given that all operators will be affected in the same way, he suggests that any impact will be at the “irritant” level, and of an entirely different order to that felt by shippers with production


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Issue 2 2018 - FBJ


3


Irish customs ready to work around the clock


The Irish Customs service says it is recruiting up to 200 additional staff members in order to allow it to work a 24/7 roster after Brexit. It is also urging traders to investigate currently available simplifications


including Authorised Economic Operator Status (Customs, Security or both), special procedures including customs warehousing, transit simplifications and the comprehensive guarantee.


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