Icelandic container line Samskip believes it has the network in place to counter Brexit disruption to European trade.
It has increased sailings between Hull and Benelux ports to 11 per week, saying container volumes are growing quickly to fill the extra capacity.
The company said two years of pre-Brexit investment in North Sea container shipping services is "proving decisive in winning shippers away from cross-Channel ferry routes at a critical time for UK-EU relations."
“The months ahead will see uncertainty for companies trading goods between the UK and the EU, and businesses are looking to secure their supply chains,” said Andy Foulds, Samskip UK sales director.
“Samskip is moving cargo for blue chip customers now which have never done business with us before and which seek containerised transportation solutions to ensure the availability of their products on the shelves.”
Foulds said that lack of space at UK ferry ports brings the prospect of delays and trucking queues returning as goods are customs cleared.
"This influences where drivers want to work at a time when there is already a Europe-wide shortage of drivers. It’s a real concern to our customers.”
But he added: "Samskip has verified that its UK port operations have ample capacity to cope with longer clearance processes."
