Ro-ro operator CLdN has acquired Samskip’s freight business between mainland Europe and the UK & Ireland.
The transaction by the Luxembourg-based CLdN sees an agreement with leading multimodal and logistics provider Samskip to purchase its quay-to-quay and door-to-door freight business. As Afloat reported, the announcement follows CLdN's operating freight deal with Warrenpoint Port Authority with their ro-ro Irish Sea link.
The Samskip development will enhance CLdN short-sea container shipping and multimodal offerings for customers across the northern and southern continents.
The acquisition covers the container shipping services currently operated by Samskip between the Dutch port of Rotterdam and the UK ports of Belfast, Blyth, Grangemouth, Hull, and Tilbury and the Irish ports of Cork, Dublin, and Waterford.
Annually these services currently carry out more than 1,000 port calls, transporting cargo for a broad customer base, including blue chip consumer goods manufacturers.
The transaction also covers the door-to-door cargo services connecting the UK and Ireland with continental Europe, including the transfer of the lease agreements for more than 5,000 multimodal cargo units, including 45 ft pallet-wide containers, refrigerated containers, and curtain-side containers; 40 and 45 ft flat racks; and 40 ft high-cube refrigerated containers.
Once regulatory clearance is confirmed and the deal is closed, CLdN will provide its new customers with a seamless continuation of the services currently offered by Samskip. The transfer of activities also involves certain supplier agreements being transferred to CLdN, including contracts related to road haulage, rail and barge connections, vessel sharing, and port operating agreements.
The transaction further enhances CLdN short-sea container shipping offering for existing and new customers between mainland Europe, the UK, and Ireland. It is fully aligned with CLdN’s strategy of providing complementary roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) services for mixed cargo and lift-on/lift-off (LoLo) services specifically for containers.
The transaction would also significantly enhance the scale of CLdN’s door-to-door multimodal activities with the integration of a broader fleet with wider network reach, particularly between the UK & Ireland and Central & Eastern Europe.
The transaction is subject to fulfillment or waiver of specific conditions, amongst which is the satisfactory outcome of the relevant regulatory and competition clearances.
Both parties have agreed not to disclose financial details related to the transaction.
