Delivery times to Greece will be cut by up to 48 hours when a pioneering direct train service between the Benelux and Brindisi in southern Italy is launched by P&O Ferrymasters.
P&O Ferrymasters is the only provider offering a direct connection between the Benelux and Brindisi. Swiss private operator Crossrail is initially running three services per week for P&O Ferrymasters between Muizen (Belgium) and the major ferry port of Brindisi, with a commercial stop in Novara in northwest Italy. There are plans to increase this to four services per week by the end of 2009.
In Novara P&O Ferrymasters can dispatch containers to Pomezia (Rome) and Naples. From Brindisi, containers are shipped overnight to Patras in Greece. UK-bound shipments can easily connect to Ferrymasters' existing Muizen to Zeebrugge service.
Bart Verbeke, P&O Ferrymasters' Intermodal Director, said: "This service enables us to reduce traditional delivery times to Greece to an average of seven working days - that's a reduction of around 48 hours. As well as the cost and time savings, customers will experience an unrivalled quality of service. We can offer a much greater capacity, frequency and reliability than the domestic rail services, which have been prone to strike action and rising costs recently. Our new service is also an environmentally friendlier option, helping companies to reduce their carbon footprint."
Prior to the launch of the new service, three different trains had to be used to transport loads from the Benelux to Brindisi (Zeebrugge-Novara, Novara-Bari and Bari-Brindisi).
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