Fjord focus! Norwegian sea route to open new trade links
IMMINGHAM SERVICE WILL CONNECT WITH THREE PORTS ACROSS THE NORTH SEA
A NEW shipping line is being launched linking the Humber with southern Norway.
Viasea, a Norwegian operation, opened a new office in Immingham in January, and a direct container service between the port and the Scandinavian country will start on May 1. Departing Immingham at midnight on a Saturday, it will call at Oslo on Wednesdays, then Moss and Larvik on Thursdays, before a final call at Kristiansand on Fridays.
The company, which also has interests in Holland, Lithuania and Poland, is led by Andrew Ellis in the UK, and his three-strong team is described as having “extensive experience from the industry; shortsea, logistics and export from the UK”.
A Viasea spokesperson added: “Immingham is the largest port in the UK by tonnage. Its location makes it one of the busiest trade industries and connects businesses across the UK and the rest of the world.” The route will be served by the MV Carla, a vessel with a capacity for 750 trailer equivalent units.
While the Humber and Norway enjoys a strong trading relationship in seafood this is seen as a consumer cargo and industrial products link by Viasea.
It is also focusing on the European-favoured high cube containers, with work on the port’s rail connections having taken place to facilitate such developments recently.
As reported, the Humber has just been granted freeport status by the UK government, with £50 million invested in upgrading the pan-estuary container terminals.
There is a concerted effort to attract traffic up the coast, away from the congested South East, and closer to the industrial heartland.
Its location makes it one of the busiest trade industries and connects businesses across the UK and the rest of the world