Bremer Lloyd entered the lumber business in 2019 with the acquisition of Danish shipping company Bres-Line and ship broker HU Logistik from Bremen. In addition to the short sea shipping of breakbulk lumber packages to the UK and North Africa, the company also started transporting log wood and lumber in containers to China, for example.
In March, Bremer Lloyd started the above-mentioned cooperation with Norwegian shipping company Saga Welco. For the time being, monthly sailings to the ports of Baltimore, south of New York, and Cape Canaveral in Florida are offered, the maximum single cargo capacity being 65,000 m³ of lumber. “Our customers can also ship small volumes of 300 m³ or more across the Atlantic,” Jakob Halm, Managing Director of Bremer Lloyd, explains.
If necessary, the logistics company also supports its customers in organizing the transport of the goods to the port.
Using synergies
With 16 packages per crane lift, the ship is loaded and unloaded at a record-breaking speed © Bremer Lloyd
This enormous shipping capacity is possible thanks to Saga Welco’s highly specialized fleet of cargo vessels. The Norwegian company primarily transports pulp from South America to Europe. On the return journey, lumber can be transported via the US.
“The ships are equipped with gantry cranes, which make it possible to load and unload the goods extremely quickly and safely, regardless of the weather,” Halm says, highlighting one of the advantages. “The gantry cranes make the loading and unloading processes up to 30% faster and also safer and more stable thanks to shoebox-shaped loading spaces without under-deck stowage,” Halm adds. Bremer Lloyd now wants to ship more lumber from Austria and Germany to the west.
Competitive and reliable
Bremer Lloyd also exports lumber to North Africa © Bremer Lloyd
“Our approach focuses mainly on bulk quantities and reliable departure times. Our competitors charter vessels, which makes prices much more volatile. Since we have our own fleet, we can offer our customers stable freight rates over the long term, which is particularly relevant for a price-sensitive industry like the sawmill industry,” Halm explains.
At Bremer Lloyd, this step is seen as long-term commitment. “We want to establish ourselves on the market and to achieve that, we need continuity,” Halm says. Three to four ships are on the European continent at any given time which guarantees that sufficient capacities are available. In total, Saga Welco’s fleet comprises around 50 vessels.
Global presence
In addition to the US, Bremer Lloyd serves the global export markets of the sawmill industry as a “one-stop shop” with several international branches through containerized transport solutions and its own ships in the short sea segment.
