Luxembourg-based short-sea shipping and logistics operator CLdN has announced the fulfilment of all conditions required to finalise its acquisition of Samskip's quay-to-quay and door-to-door shipping business connecting continental Europe, the UK, and Ireland, with official integration of services into the CLdN network scheduled for 29 June.

According to Transport Corridors, the deal covers container shipping routes from the Port of Rotterdam to UK ports including Belfast, Blyth, Grangemouth, Hull and Tilbury, as well as Irish ports at Cork, Dublin and Waterford. The acquired business involves over 1,000 port calls annually and serves a broad client base that includes major consumer goods manufacturers.

The transaction also includes multimodal door-to-door transport services between the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe, alongside the transfer of leases for more than 5,000 cargo units. The cargo unit portfolio spans 45-foot pallet-wide containers, reefers, curtain-side containers, flat racks and high-cube reefer containers, reflecting the breadth and complexity of Samskip's existing operational footprint.

CLdN has stated that the integration will ensure service continuity for existing Samskip customers while strengthening the company's position in the short-sea container shipping sector. The acquisition aligns with CLdN's strategy of developing a combined operating model that integrates roll-on/roll-off transport for mixed cargo with lift-on/lift-off container services, creating a more flexible and comprehensive offering across its European network.

The deal will significantly scale CLdN's multimodal business and reinforce its network on routes connecting the UK and Ireland with Central and Eastern Europe, two corridors that have seen sustained demand growth as supply chains adapt to post-Brexit trade patterns and shifting European logistics flows.

For the Irish logistics sector, the acquisition represents a consolidation of short-sea capacity on some of the country's most commercially significant freight corridors, with Dublin, Cork and Waterford all featuring within the acquired route network.

Find out more about CLdN's Samskip acquisition and its implications for European short-sea freight in the full article.