SEA CHANGE
Page 32
Page 33
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Norse Irish Ferries' new Belfast to Liverpool ferry service is owned by the hauliers who use it. Commercial Motor took to the seas on board its flagship, the Norse Logan. Agroup of Northern Irish hauliers had a problem: the state of RO-RO ferry services across the Irish Sea. And two years ago they set out to solve it.
Ferries are a big talking point in the province's transport community. Almost all freight from Northern Ireland goes to the UK and its hauliers use ferries daily. There was a gap in the market, according to the operators, but no one to fill it.
The short-sea crossing, Larne to south-west Scotland, was well served by P&O and Sealink, which ran regular, efficient and driver-friendly two-hour services. The difficulty was with the "central corridor" — the 12-hour trip to the west coast of England.
Some 80% of Northern Ireland's haulage traffic ends up south of the M62. And since the demise of a RO-RO freight service from Belfast to Liverpool in 1990, there have been only two major services on the route, run by Pandoro and Belfast Freight Ferries. Both concentrate on unacompanied traffic, and have a limited number of cabins for truck drivers on the overnight crossing.
So the hauliers thought why not start a ferry service of their own? Their first attempt to form a joint venture with a shipping company a year ago fell through. Then one haulier, George Dobbs, partner in Haulage Services in Belfast, was talking over the idea with his brother. Peter Dobbs worked for shipper Grover Star which was keen to back the project, but had no experience of running a RO-RO service.
The company was confident there was a niche, however, and Norse Irish Ferries, 55% owned by Grover and 45% by a consortium of 25 hauliers, launched its Belfast to Liverpool service in November. "The idea had been knocked around for a while," says Alan Blair, partner in Ballymena-based Blair International, which runs 25 artics to the Continent. "There was a very poor service on the central corridor, and we were asked to support it, so we did."
The operation uses two chartered ships, the Norse Lagan and Norse Mersey, with an each-way sailing every night. The vessels have room for between 150 and 180 trucks. They also carry cars, but NSF chief executive Peter Dobbs points out that they are freight ferries that also cater for motorists.
The emphasis, says Dobbs, is on comfort for the truck drivers. They get the same facilities as motorists. Each driver is given two free buffet meals — a dinner upon boarding and breakfast. Unlike many freight ferries, cabins have en-suite bathrooms with towels provided. "People said if we gave drivers towels, they would steal them," says Dobbs. "But we haven't lost a towel yet. Drivers do appreciate \ what we're doing."
The central corridor crossing has several advantages over the two-hour short-sea route, says Dobbs. Although it takes longer and costs more, drivers can use the time on board as daily rest and start the next morning with a clean tachograph. For drivers going south of the M62, the trip to Stranraer also adds 370km to the road journey, requiring an overnight stop in any case, adds Dobbs.
Almost all the main transport firms in the province are shareholders, with stakes
ranging from below 1% to 10%. They do not receive any special benefit and pay the same commercial rate as non-shareholders. But they are entitled to a share in profits and, if elected, to a seat on the board.
The idea is that if hauliers have a shareholding, they will be more commited to using the service. Currently about 30% of the company's business comes from its shareholders.
The majority of its customers, 70%, are from Northern Ireland or the Republic. Dobbs wants to attract more British firms, who tend to travel to Ulster in the early part of the week. But this is proving hard. "Our sales people in Northern Ireland can see seven or eight firms in one day," he says. "In England, distance is the problem. Not every transport firm is going to Ireland, so our market research has to be much better."
One way of doing this is to target specific own-account sectors, for example talking to the furniture manufacturers' trade association and finding out who has customers in Ireland. But there are simpler methods.
"If ever we spot an English truck over here, we're on the phone to them right away asking them what ferry service they use," says Dobbs.
But the strategy does not always work: "We saw an Eddie Stobart truck the other week. We rang them up and they told us it was the first one they'd had in Northern Ireland for a year!"
One effect of Norse Irish Ferries has been to keep rates down on the route. "This is the first year hauliers have not paid more to cross the Irish Sea," says Dobbs.
One of the biggest advantages of the service is the driver facilities, says Alan Thompson. He is financial director of shareholder East-West Transport in Belfast, which was one of the biggest
users of the old Belfast-Liverpool 6.1
crossing. "The drivers like the service, 8 and that's good for us," he says. >. Another bonus he cites is that o, og
East-West, which has 37 vehicles, does 1-).
.0 not have to use ships belonging to its haulage competitor, Pandora. "We needed
another option because going via 0 Stranraer is too expensive," he says. El by Murdo Morrison