News
Samskip takes over activities of Scandinavia-specialist Nedshipping
Rotterdam - Samskip BV has taken over all the activities of Nedshipping Liner Agencies BV. Nedshipping specialises in container logistics between Norway, Finland, Sweden, the Benelux countries, Germany and Northern France. Nedshipping's services as an NVO (Non Vessel Operator) include all container types, up to 45-ft pallet wide containers. All six management and staff will join Samskip BV in Rotterdam.
Nedshipping has well over 10 years of experience in the trade between Western Europe and Scandinavia, and started specialising in the trade between the Benelux countries and Oslofjord in 1990. Nedshipping has been representing shipping lines to Scandinavia as general agents and, in addition, developed its NVO business. As from 2000, Nedshipping has gradually become more and more involved in the trade between the Benelux and Finland and Sweden. The company considers itself an important player in door-to-door container logistics on this trade, where the use of 45-ft pallet wide containers has risen significantly. Its South Norway/Oslofjord expertise was furthermore preserved through its partnership with Samskip, when Samskip decided, in August 2003, to launch its own service to Oslofjord.
"Our contacts with Nedshipping intensified as from that moment", Asbjörn Gíslason, President of Samskip explains. "Soon after we had launched the Oslofjord service, we realised what Nedshipping stood for, and considered it sensible to acquire their activities. Their knowledge and experience in this trade will ensure valuable synergies with our network of lines and offices. This acquisition provides a further significant boost to Samskip's expertise on the Scandinavian and Baltic container theatre. In addition, Nedshipping customers now get in-house access to our entire liner network, which includes all Baltic states and Russia," Gíslason added.
"The mixture of our approach and market-awareness as an NVO plus Samskip's original focus as a shortsea shipping line definitely offers synergies", Freek Pols, Managing Director of Nedshipping, agrees. "We had already established this in the past six months. Also, we already used Samskip's Sweden-service, "as forwarders". I do believe that we can further add to Samskip's continental inland logistics infrastructure." Pols, who will also join Samskip BV in Rotterdam, adds that he has encountered much agreement from Nedshipping's wide customer base in Western Europe and the Scandinavian countries. "They are pleased with the fact that now, as Samskip, we can offer own operated container vessel services."
