Freight up 4.5% as UK-EU trade begins to stabilise

The volumes were driven by added capacity and continued stabilisation of trade between the UK and the EU, particularly for UK imports. Lower UK exports increased the number of empty trailers coming back to the EU.

Volumes on the English Channel were likewise above 2020’s. Volumes on the new Ireland-France route continue to be ahead of expectations.

Filip Hermann, VP & Head of BU Channel said: “The Freight Sales Team started earlier than usual to prepare for what we had foreseen would be a challenging period because of Brexit.”

Kell Robdrup, SVP & Head of BU North Sea South added: “The capacity brought by the four new buildings from Jinling is a notable contributing factor to the volumes being above 2020’s in the North Sea. We are happy to see our new mega freight ferries are put to good use. By offering our customers greater efficiency and more capacity, the new freight ferries will help our customers grow their businesses while significantly decreasing energy consumption per trailer transported.”