Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) is promoting short sea services as a reliable alternative to road transport across land boarders.
Recent measures to limit the spread of COVID-19 have created new disruptions and slowdowns to intra-European trade and traffic, putting strains on the supply chain for the delivery of essential goods – including food, medical equipment and other vital supplies, MSC noted in a 2 April statement.
Building on
its extensive direct Mediterranean and Baltic feeder network and in response to
market and customer needs, shippers of dry and reefer cargo can rely on MSC’s
European & Short Sea services to help ensure continuous and quicker flow of
their goods across Europe, the company said.
Short sea
shipping refers to the movement of cargo by sea over relatively short
distances, as opposed to the intercontinental cross-ocean deep sea shipping.
MSC
operates its own dedicated Mediterranean and North European network offering
high frequency of sailings and feeder services. MSC also brings complementary
intermodal services via road, rail, and barge to satisfy customer end-to-end
requirements on the continental market.
Recently, MSC also announced the development of a Suspension of Transit (SOT) container shipping programme to prepare for a recovery in demand for freight services once the impact of the pandemic eases.
