Unaccompanied freight service milestone

DFDS’s Sheerness to Calais service has now moved more than 50,000 trailers on vessels at the port since it was first launched in July 2021, an increase of 65% in daily unit volumes.

The partnership was introduced in response to growing demand from cargo owners and hauliers, who view it as a solution to ongoing congestion issues and delays in Dover.

“Reaching the 50,000 units milestone for the route feels like a real landmark moment for everyone involved in the service,” said Richard Goffin, port director at London Medway.

“The rise in daily unit volumes over that time has also proven what we have long argued – that there is a real need for a viable alternative route for the UK’s supply chain given ongoing congestion around Dover and the shift in demand for increased unaccompanied services,” he said.

Unaccompanied freight, which sees trailers and containers shipped without a driver, is seen by some in the industry as a major way of overcoming challenges with customs delays, driver shortages and storage.

“We believe companies should look to move non-perishable cargo on unaccompanied services such as ours because they are more reliable, rather than have it travel on as accompanied freight, which has multiple points of failure,” concluded Mr Goffin.