DFDS supports growing unaccompanied freight demand with more Germany-UK ferries

Thanks to unaccompanied trailer transits, the route through Cuxhaven has shown itself to be robust despite the COVID-19 pandemic and Brexit, argues DFDS. Handling at the Cuxport terminal for shipments to the UK can be carried out without interruption.

Thanks to the additional Wednesday departure, the route originating at the Lower Saxony deep-sea port of Cuxhaven, Germany will be served from Monday to Saturday. Two Ro/Ro vessels, Selandia Seaways and Britannia Seaways will be deployed.

The transit times between Cuxhaven and Immingham have been reduced to 19 hours, while all departures now occur in the evenings.

In particular, truck-trailer customers can now deliver their trailer or container units at HWG member Cuxport’s terminal in the evening and these units can be expedited on their onward journey without escort.

Logistics companies could thus enjoy more scheduling security and less risk of delay on account of any Brexit-related customs checks, says DFDS.

More ferries and more unaccompanied freight due to coronavirus and Brexit

Brittany Ferries also confirmed that the amount of unaccompanied freight it is transporting on its routes between the UK and France/Spain is “much higher than in previous years.”

A rise in unaccompanied freight had already been expected this year, especially in the light of Brexit and the coronavirus testing requirements introduced by the French authorities.

This change in the means of transportation hasn’t come as a surprise. Already in early November 2020, Peel Ports Commercial Director Stephen Carr spoke about the fear of congestion at ports serving the Dover Strait after 2021.

Carr said that the worry generated by the delays due to Brexit, the difficulties caused by Covid-19 and a shortage of truck drivers, had already resulted in cargo owners and carriers opting to switch transport modes and use different ports and shipping methods in a bid to preserve supply chains.