A pilot test has been completed with good results.
On Friday, the NTS ship “Nordkinn” loaded a cold container with salmon at Kråkøya Coastal Port in Rørvik, central Norway. By Tuesday morning the container arrived at the port city of Ijmuiden in the Dutch province of North Holland. From there the fish went over to the truck, and after a long hour on the road, it was on the front desk. [factbox]
“All parts of the transport went well. The quality of the fish was tested by the customer immediately after the cargo arrived, with excellent results,” said Kim Rune Bøe, project manager at NTS, in a press release.
The group wishes to establish a fixed route between Trøndelag and the Netherlands, thus contributing to the cargo transfer of fish from road to sea. The shipping company has applied for the state incentive scheme for the commencement of this route.
From road to sea
In the pilot, the goal was to test how the transport chain and logistics worked abroad, as well as how the quality of the product was at the final level. The execution time in the pilot test was slightly longer than it would be with the direct route.
“The test showed that there is nothing wrong with transporting fish from Trøndelag and out to the continent on a ship. We have now gained some experience that we can take with us in order to streamline a logistics chain for seafood exports on refrigeration,” added Bøe.
The aim is that the sea transport should be as easy to order and carry out for the customer as truck transport is today.
- Read also: NTS Shipping seeks to establish sea transport of fresh fish from Norway to the Netherlands
Waiting for grant reply
NTS is today one of several members of the Norwegian Shipowners Association (Kystrederiene) which has applied for funding in the grant scheme, which provides three years with grants for the transfer of goods by road to sea through the Coastal Administration. Whoever will receives the funds will be informed within a few weeks. Bøe believes the scheme is an important incentive for establishing new freight routes.
“But when setting up a new route, it takes time before the volumes are in place, and it’s a lot of work in incorporating a new route. Today’s scheme provides grants for the volumes that are transferred from road to sea and, to a small extent, reduce the company’s risk that the seafood industry does not choose maritime transport. Perhaps the subsidy could also finance the job of raising the volume of transport routes on the sea” he said.
Cooperation in Trøndelag
Should there be a doubling of salmon transport in Central Norway in the coming years, there will be a significant strain on the road network in Trøndelag. Earlier this year, farmers, shipping companies and carriers, ports and public authorities in Central Norway joined forces to test maritime transport as an alternative to truck. Both to avoid future traffic chaos, and to reduce climate and environmental emissions. NTS is also a member, in addition to the Norwegian shipping line, Egil Ulvan Rederi, who recently transported fish from Trøndelag to Hirtshals.
“We have good cooperation in the region. Everyone sees the roads getting crowded and we need new transport solutions. The good dialogue between the players is a lot of the reason that there are already carried test teams already, “said Bøe.
Recently, Coastal Airlines also launched a report showing that transport of salmon at sea is a profitable alternative to today’s trucking, both for the farmer and the environment, if it is facilitated.
