6


Issue 5 2019 - Freight Business Journal


///NEWS


>> 1


ports in the South East and Scotland


by


rail has been a priority for us and we are pleased to partner with Eddie Stobart and DRS on this new service. The service comes on the back of an increase in business at our busy container terminals and underpins our commitment to provide sustainable and cost- effective logistics solutions for our customers. This is the first time that a rail service truly links our ports in Tilbury and Grangemouth which opens up a number of import and export opportunities for our business and customers.” Sector director at Eddie John Clark,


Stobart, to offer added:


“Eddie Stobart Logistics remains one of the only UK operators


genuine


modal choice for customers, and we’re delighted to be able to extend our rail offering through our new partnership with Direct Rail Services and Forth Ports. Unlike many rail operators,


our services are


built in direct response to customer requirements – that’s why we’re introducing a new service that will link the Port of


Tilbury to Grangemouth


for the first time. We believe this will help to provide our customers with a cost effective and sustainable means of moving goods between Southern England and Central Scotland.” In an interview with FBJ


at the Multimodal show on 18 June, Clark explained that while Eddie Stobart is perhaps best known as the country’s favourite trucker, its rail operations have been growing and the company now delivers over 1,800 loads a week by train. The company currently runs around 645,000 train miles a week which, considering that each train can handle around 30 or so containers at a time, certainly bears comparison with the 15.8 million truck miles a week. It has rail operations at


locations including Felixstowe, London Gateway, Daventry, Mossend, Barking, Tilbury, Aberdeen, Inverness and Cardiff and runs its own multimodal terminal at Widnes near Liverpool, which currently handles four trains a day to and from the southern ports. The operator is perhaps best known for running the ‘Tesco


trains’ but it also operates rail services in its own right including a new Tilbury to Daventry service introduced last September. Some of the Tesco services also carry traffic for third parties, such as


Highland Spring, Barrs


beverages logistics firm Hillebrand and Maersk. Clark says: “Rail is a great


way of moving large volumes throughout the country for multiple customers and on- time delivery compares very well with road – in fact, on some counts, it’s better.” Clark, who has a background in retailing, says that Tesco is very happy with the standard of service, as the rail industry has come to realise the importance of ensuring that services run to time. At times when rail services


have been disrupted – the most significant being damage to a bridge at Lamington on the west coast main line from England to Scotland a couple of years ago – Stobart does of course have the option of switching to road. However, says Clark, this only happens on average twice a year or so. Network Rail also has a good understanding of recognising


the importance of freight and ensuring that trains do get through at times when services are hit by weather or other events With truck drivers hard


to come by in many parts of the country, in the south of England but now even in some parts of Scotland,


rail has a


strong future, he believes. True, some of the


government support that used to be available for operations


in England


rail has


been reduced, although it still applies in Scotland and Wales. For the future, Eddie Stobart


is exploring the possibility of putting temperature- controlled traffic on rail. This, more than any other factor, would increase rail’s market share and the ‘holy grail’, says Clark, would be multi- temperature containers at a reasonable cost. He is also very supportive


of Scottish operator Malcolm Logistics ‘48 for 48’ campaign to allow longer, heavier boxes on the roads for intermodal traffic, which would help make rail more competitive with double- deck road trailers capable of carrying 96 roll cages at a time. See Scotland, page 17


You are THE ONE for us, fellow lines tell Hyundai


Container shipping company Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) – a line once threatened with bankruptcy in a crisis that led to the demise of fellow South Korean operator Hanjin - is to join THE Alliance as a full member. THE Alliance was founded in April 2017 by Hapag-Lloyd, Yang Ming and Japanese operators NYK, MOL and K Line; the latter three later merged to become Ocean Network Express – ONE. Subject to the necessary


regulatory approvals, HMM’s new contract with its three partner lines will start on 1 April 2020. Hapag-Lloyd chief executive Rolf Habben Jansen described


HMM as “a great fit for THE Alliance as they will provide a number of new and modern vessels, which will help us to deliver better quality and be more efficient – and it will help us also to further reduce our emissions.” HMM has ordered twelve


23,000teu vessels which will be delivered in the second quarter of 2020 for the Europe-Far East trade, along with eight 15,000teu newbuildings in the second quarter of 2021. ONE chief executive Jeremy


Nixon commented that HMM would allow THE to offer a wider port coverage, more sailings and a better balance of cargo flows.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24