Shipping line Containerships says it is trying to help timber importers affected by its sudden decision to switch its south UK vessels from Tilbury to Sheerness.
Several plywood importers/agents who use the Containerships service from the Baltics and Russia to Tilbury told TTJ that the switch had landed them with time and cost headaches.
Frédéric Leca, commercial director for Containerships, told TTJ that he was sorry for the short notice (two days) for the switch.
He said Containerships’ 14-day route from the Mediterranean and severe winter weather problems in the Baltics and Russia meant ships could not always arrive on time at Tilbury.
“Instead of Tuesday in Tilbury we would arrive on Wednesday or Thursday.”
He said Tilbury was a busy port with a lot of shortsea traffic and delayed shipments meant delays in unloading, with subsequent impacts on its schedules. “We could not wait two to three days at Tilbury to be unloaded.”
“It was simply a mismatch. We are not blaming the Port of Tilbury,” he said.
“For the timber importer it’s a big issue if they have warehousing contracts in Tilbury and they cannot simply move to Sheerness. So we have been talking to them to find the best solutions.”
“We’re trying out the service at Sheerness for a few weeks and we’ll see what happens,” said one agent. “The main inconvenience is our customers are based at Tilbury.”
Another company expressed concern at increased transport costs and the Dartford Tunnel toll.
The Port of Tilbury said it had been unaware of Containerships’ reasons for switching, but pointed out that a new service from St Petersburg to Tilbury had recently been started by Delta Shipping Line, giving importers another option.
