Supply Chain Council of European Union | Scceu.org
Freight

Second weekly direct freight service between Cork and the EU starts today

A second weekly freight service between the EU and the Port of Cork starts today cementing Cork’s role as a gateway to the mainland in a post Brexit world.

The service between Cork and the Port of Zeebrugge, one of the busiest container ports in Europe, started in May and now a second has been added to accommodate demand.

CLdN’s second weekly roll-on roll-off service will offer more flexibility for Irish customers as well as ensuring supply chains are maintained.

The new service bypasses the UK, which officially left the EU last month, and ensures that Cork maintains a direct link with the continent.



Operations at the Port of Cork.

For importers and exporters this means avoiding unnecessary border checks thus ensuring cargo flows more effectively and in a cost-efficient manner from Ireland direct to mainland Europe.

The news comes as the first Brexit buster ferry route between Rosslare and Frances is due to set sail this month which will also avoid the UK land bridge.

DFDS are operating the service which will see a direct route between Rosslare Europort and Dunkirk in Northern France.

Six weekly departures will run from each port and will allow Irish hauliers to keep their vital trade links with the EU and avoid delays and customs formalities post Brexit.



Port of Cork

Last year there had been advanced plans for a new passenger freight ferry from Northern Spain to Cork but these were put on hold due to the pandemic however they could be revived in 2021.

According to CLdN, over the last months, there has been steady growth in customer demand for reliable, low cost and Brexit-proof unaccompanied freight products.

Shipping unaccompanied trailers, (tank) containers, finished vehicles or project cargo between its own ferry terminals provides a ‘one stop shop’ for customers to get goods shipped across the North Sea without running the risk of disruption.

A spokesperson for the Port of Cork said: ‘Recently we have seen the spotlight on Ro-Ro freight since Brexit came into force, however CLdN have seen a shift to unaccompanied freight, which is clearly popular among logistic companies and advantageous.

“The benefits of unaccompanied freight can bring a reduction in costs, greener freight movements as minimising the amount of time your drivers are on the road and greater flexibility depending on the type of cargo being shipped.’

A spokesperson from CLdN stated: ‘As we have shown and continue to deliver, we will deploy larger vessels or add more frequency to match demand to and from Ireland and will react immediately the market signals a requirement, as we see the Irish market as a core route in our portfolio.’

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