The deal covers container shipping services currently operated by Samskip between Rotterdam and the UK ports of Belfast, Blyth, Grangemouth, Hull and Tilbury, as well as the Irish ports of Cork, Dublin and Waterford.
According to CLdN, the services make more than 1,000 port calls a year and carry cargo for a broad customer base, including major consumer goods manufacturers.
The transaction also includes door-to-door cargo services connecting the UK and Ireland with continental Europe. As part of the deal, lease agreements for more than 5,000 multimodal cargo units will transfer to CLdN. These include 45ft pallet-wide containers, refrigerated containers, curtain-side containers, 40ft and 45ft flat racks, and 40ft high-cube refrigerated containers.
CLdN said the acquired services will become part of its network from 29 June and that it will provide customers with a “seamless continuation” of the services currently offered by Samskip.
The company said the acquisition strengthens its short-sea container shipping offer between mainland Europe, the UK and Ireland. It also fits its strategy of combining roll-on/roll-off services for mixed cargo with lift-on/lift-off services for containerised freight.
CLdN added that the deal will increase the scale of its door-to-door multimodal activities, particularly between the UK and Ireland and Central and Eastern Europe.
Samskip first announced the planned sale in February, saying the move would allow it to focus more strongly on its long-distance multimodal network linking mainland Europe with the Nordics, Baltics, Iberia and North Africa.
At the time, Samskip said handing over the UK and Ireland trade to CLdN would secure continuity and high service levels for customers in the affected markets. Financial details of the transaction have not been disclosed.
