Key points:
- Boluda Shipping has signed an agreement to acquire Samskip, including all its assets and operations.
- The combined network will have 32 vessels, 18 routes, 21 maritime terminals and 5 rail terminals.
- It will also own more than 500 trucks and handle over 750,000 TEU a year.
- The deal is expected to close on 1 January 2027, subject to regulatory approval.
- The price has not been disclosed.
What has been agreed
According to Boluda and Samskip, the agreement was signed on 28 October. Boluda Shipping will take over Samskip with all its assets and operations. The transaction is expected to close on 1 January 2027, once the relevant authorities approve it and the agreed closing conditions are met. Until then, both companies will continue to operate independently.
Financial details have not been published.
The combined network in numbers
After completion, the group expects to have:
- 32 vessels on 18 routes, serving markets in 28 countries,
- 21 maritime terminals and 5 rail terminals,
- more than 500 company-owned trucks,
- a pool of about 35,000 containers,
- annual throughput of more than 750,000 TEU.
The network will link Northern Europe with the Iberian Peninsula, the Canary Islands and West Africa. Rotterdam, where Samskip has its headquarters and Boluda opened new offices in June, will become the main hub for coordinating services.
Who are Boluda and Samskip?
Both are family-owned businesses. Boluda is best known for harbour towage through Boluda Towage, but it also runs container shipping and port logistics. In recent weeks alone, it has announced new tugs in Genoa and Norway and new headquarters for its towage arm in Antwerp.
Samskip was founded in Iceland in 1990 and later moved its headquarters to Rotterdam. It operates in more than 30 countries and employs around 1,500 people. Its services range from European multimodal transport and North Atlantic shipping to temperature-controlled forwarding and project cargo.
Samskip’s sailing schedules include many ports in the UK and Ireland, including Belfast, Dublin, Cork, Waterford, Hull, Immingham, Tilbury, Liverpool and Grangemouth, as well as ports in Scandinavia and the Baltic states.
The two companies already work together on joint services in Spain. Samskip CEO Ólafur Orri Ólafsson will stay on to support the integration, and the Samskip brand will remain part of the business.
What the bosses say
“We have a clear vision: to lead European short sea shipping and make our network a competitive advantage for the businesses that place their trust in us,” said Ignacio Boluda Ceballos, Executive Chairman of Boluda Shipping.
“Samskip and Boluda are two family-owned companies with a long track record in transport, shared values and a long-term vision,” said Ólafur Orri Ólafsson.
What it means for road hauliers
The deal creates a bigger competitor to long-distance road freight. Combining sea and rail with road collection and delivery can cut CO₂ emissions compared with road-only transport, the companies say, and Boluda plans to invest in more capacity and new connections.
For hauliers, this cuts both ways. On long north–south corridors, such as the Netherlands–Spain route, more short-sea and rail capacity can take loads off the road. At the same time, multimodal networks still need trucks for the first and last mile, which creates work for local subcontractors around ports and rail terminals.
The move continues a wave of consolidation in European logistics, from FedEx buying into InPost to new intermodal services shifting semi-trailers from road to rail.
