INTERNET BUSINESSES

Archive for the ‘Freight Transit’ Category

by Jamie Lyons

With a large percentage of modern haulage performed by air or long-haul trucking services, the environment is starting to feel the strain of our import/export culture. There is however a more traditional mode of goods transport which is not only much kinder on the planet but also considerably more economical. Short sea shipping allows similar sized containers to those of conventional road operated trailers (2.5m pallets) to be transported across bodies of water at a comparable speed to other methods, but carrying considerably larger loads. Due to the smaller size of short sea shipping vessels compared to those used for deep sea shipping, they are able to travel on inland waterways as well as shipping routes, allowing for a greater level of accessibility to more inland areas.

Popular short sea shipping routes include Spain, Portugal and Poland to the UK, and the environmental aspect of the process is enforced by the prevalence of rail transit for connections from port to final destination where possible. In association with various other connection options, short sea shipping can also be utilised in importing and exporting goods between Russia and Scandinavia, amongst other destinations. These short sea shipping solutions provide a seamless door-to-door operation that can out-perform long haul trucks on a combination of price, reliability and transit time. And in doing so, the service allows for delivery to be completed in the most environmentally ethical manner possible.

Countries within the European Union embrace short sea shipping to such an extent that it accounts for 40% of all freight moved in Europe. This is attributable to the combination of lower emissions and lower cost resulting from the ability of the average ship to hold cargo equivalent to the capacity of more than 100 lorries. In order to ensure the highest quality of service, the European Commission strictly regulate the industry to prevent sub-standard shipping, minimise the ecological and environmental impact and protect against the threat of terrorism and piracy.

With the huge carbon footprint of air freight commonly acknowledged and the pledges of many companies to operate at an environmentally sustainable level, such industries as short sea shipping are essential to countless businesses. Whether looking to transport goods on the internal waterways of Europe, or across the sea from and to the UK, short sea shipping not only cuts costs but also helps to maintain a carbon-neutral operation. And with new routes added on an almost daily basis, short sea shipping services are linking an ever increasing number of ports across Europe and beyond.

Written by Jamie Lyons on behalf of Sea Freight Liverpool experts MacAndrews.