Mammoet Ferry Transport – a familiar name in a changing trade


24


Mammoet Ferry Transport continues to play a leading role in the Anglo-Continental transport market, with above-budget growth in each of the last five years, says UK commercial director, Alan Brough. Indeed, the period following


the UK’s exit from the European Union has seen an unprecedented surge in enquiries as exporters and importers look to secure reliable haulage linked with the ability to negotiate the vagaries of border crossings and customs documentation. Mammoet Ferry Transport has


for over 35 years moved full and part load consignments between the UK, Benelux, Germany and Austria. Alan Brough explains: “As an asset-owning, trailer service provider with depot facilities and staff based in-country, Mammoet Ferry


Transports’ portfolio of


services has an obvious appeal for businesses wanting to navigate the changes in international trade.” Mammoet Ferry Transport has


its main operating centre and head office at Europoort, Rotterdam, and branch locations at Zeebrugge in Belgium, Duisburg in Germany, Ansfelden(near Linz) in Austria, Runcorn and Cambuslang, (East Glasgow) in the UK. (See separate


article in the Scotland report in this issue.)


In 2019 the company was


bought by longstanding client and supplier, Neele-Vat Logistics. Alan Brough says that the merger of the two Rotterdam-based businesses strengthened both companies’ position in European road transport. The group now has a thousand


employees across twenty seven offices in eleven countries. It controls


over 250,000sq m


of warehouse space and has an annual turnover of over €380 million. But despite its expanding size, the Neele-Vat Group still regards itself as a family business and this is reflected in the spirit of communication, support and empowerment that runs throughout the group companies. Mammoet Ferry Transport continues to operate autonomously within the Neele- Vat group and the clients of both companies will benefit from access to a more comprehensive range of services with a wider geographical reach. Brough adds: “It’s fair to say that


the UK’s exit from the European Single Market brought challenges and although the company was well


positioned,


DSV keeps Benelux business on the move


DSV has managed to keep the supply chains moving


even


during the most heated days of Brexit the Covid outbreak at the beginning of the year, says executive vice president, DSV Road UK, Jesper Hansen. He recalls: “One of the


reasons why DSV has managed to handle the pressure is because at an early stage we recognised the need to utilise alternative routes and modes of transportation. In addition to utilising different routes and gateways, our transit solution ensures that cargo can easily migrate across borders directly into our ETSF customs- controlled facilities across the UK and Benelux. “At the same time, we have


prioritised preparing all our partners well in advance of arrival to meet all custom clearance requirements


enabling onward deliveries without impacting further on the transit schedule,” he adds. DSV


provides full and


comprehensive groupage, part and full


load services using


both driver-accompanied and unaccompanied solutions between the UK and Benelux, as well as to and from several other locations on the Continent and in Scandinavia. It offers multi-modal


solutions and is operating a wide range of equipment types including a large fleet of XL type Tautliners and Euro liners, mega trailers, 45ft containers and thermo insulated units. This is complemented by local haulage fleets based in the UK servicing all East Coast ports of arrival in the north and south of the country. On the Continent, DSV has a fleet operating out of Belgium


significant investment in its


operational structure, staff training and IT systems, Brexit threw up trials and tribulations that forced some operators to suspend services or, in a few cases, withdraw from the market entirely.” A lack of preparedness on


the part of some companies brought problems in the shape of inadequate paperwork and a failure to fully understand the procedures that would become mandatory following Brexit. For Mammoet Ferry Transport


this having made


posed a very real and potent threat that trailers could be delayed or held while queries were resolved. And, with a fleet of over 450 trailers covering an operating area extending from the North of Scotland to Southern Austria,


and Holland, and where required, also offer daily driver accompanied departures via the Dover straits. Because of Brexit, there have been delays. Jesper Hansen explains: “As a result of the new regulations and procedures, we saw a slight downturn in volume during the first two months, where companies were more cautious as a result of Brexit. Additionally, some companies also stockpiled in November and December 2020 to ensure supply chains would not be impacted on 1 January. From late February and into the second quarter of 2021 we have seen a return of volume and it is slowly getting close to normal.” Interestingly, he adds, lately


there has been an increase in the use of unaccompanied transport to complement the historically preferred driver- accompanied


solutions.


The Benelux countries have a geographically advantageous position for flows to and from


Mammoet Ferry Transport measures the turnaround time of its trailers closely and very carefully. Any delay has the potential to hit hard financially. For this reason the company was keen, where possible, to have control of the customs clearance process in order to ensure swiſt, efficient transit through borders. Recently Mammoet Ferry


Transport increased its trailer fleet from 400 to 450 units - mostly standard 13.6 metre trailers (some with extending roofs to accommodate more cargo.) The fleet expansion was also made largely to cope with the extra demands as a result of Brexit. Safety, Security, Veterinary and


Phytosanitary checks are due to be introduced on traffic moving


Issue 5 2021 - Freight Business Journal


///BENELUX


into the UK (now expected to take place on 1 January) and any resulting delays puts even more pressure on trailer operators to keep their assets moving. Mammoet Ferry Transport has put a great deal of effort into educating its customers about what is required of them in terms of documentation, both to help them and also to try and ensure that its trailers keep running and are not snagged by Customs at border crossings. “It’s helpful in this respect that we’ve had the Customs expertise of our parent company Neele-Vat to tap into,” says Alan Brough. UK Customs can also


be expected to scrutinise declarations of origin more vigorously in future. One issue that the Mammoet team has already discovered is that declarations of UK origin on goods going into the EU need to be declared in the prescribed ReX (Registered Exporter) format


laid down by


the EU – a simple statement on an invoice will not do. On the whole, customers are


appreciative of Mammoet’s efforts and recognise that the trailer operator is doing its best that they do comply with the rules and don’t end up having to pay and then laboriously reclaim customs duty. The company has taken on


additional staff in its UK offices to cope with the additional customs admin work, as well as redeploying others within the organisation. It


has also been able to draw on the extensive customs expertise of its parent company. Alan Brough says that the Neele-Vat Customs Team centred on Rotterdam were able to project-manage the process of equipping Mammoet Ferry Transport with the resources and systems necessary to ensure the seamless alignment of transport and customs services. There are other synergies


between the two companies with Neele-Vat providing extensive warehouse, inventory control and specialized port operations in and around Rotterdam as well as wide- ranging air, sea and road transport capability. The merger of these two Rotterdam companies brings a strengthening of the European transport network for existing clients of both companies. “At the same time, it strengthens the scale needed to remain competitive in the challenging European market of tomorrow,” Alan Brough states. Neele-Vat Logistics was


recently ranked 12th in the top 100 logistics service providers in the Netherlands in an industry survey conducted by independent research company, BCI. Alan Brough concludes that,


given the fierce competition in the sector this is no mean achievement for a growing, family business and it provides positive affirmation that the groups continued development is on course and supported by a growing client base.


Manchester and Immingham. The latest is the brand new


DSV campus in Tamworth near Birmingham that will host its Road, Air & Sea and Solutions divisions including a 30.000sq m warehouse, 10.000sq m cross-dock and 3000sq m office space. It will be ready and in operation by October 2021. Jesper Hansen concludes:


the EU and are well serviced with direct ferry links into various ports across the UK (North and South). This is ideal for full loads, part loads and groupage flows. Jesper Hansen adds: “We


see great potential for DSV to continuously grow our market share on the sea route given our historically strong presence both in the UK and in Belgium and Holland.” Post-Brexit, many customers


are using Benelux and indeed France as an arrival hub for


cargo leaving the UK and moving into the EU. Here, DSV offers a dedicated control tower solution to deliver a one-stop- shop and, irrespective of the final delivery destination in Europe, these hubs can ensure total control and transparency for customers from arrival, during customs


and when


distributing to the European countries. In recent years DSV has


invested heavily in its UK infrastructure and key strategic road hubs in Purfleet,


“DSV’s local presence and infrastructure in the UK combined with our extensive own network across Europe allow us to keep supply chains moving with high frequency and speed, supporting our clients to remain fully connected to their European customers and suppliers.” Between


Ireland and the


Benelux countries, DSV also provides a full groupage, part and full load solution using both driver accompanied and unaccompanied solutions both via the land bridge to the UK and direct unaccompanied services into the EU either via Holland, Belgium, Spain or France.


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