A bright future for short-sea shipping

Wilhelmina Lund is the Managing Director of Freightman, which provides international transport solutions. Founded in 1973, the company was largely focused on logistics solutions for India, but expanded with Ethiopian Shipping and finally in 2018 with W.E.C Line, which focuses on East Africa and European continental shipping, known as short-sea shipping.

'When we took over the shipping agency W.E.C Line, they were not very well known in the Swedish market and short-sea was a new segment for us. Since then, we've worked intensively to establish W.E.C Line as a flexible, nearby alternative to the major shipping companies that provide short-sea services', says Wilhelmina Lund, Managing Director of Freightman.

'One major advantage of W.E.C Line’s short-sea service is that we offer several unusual destinations, such as the Canary Islands and Cape Verde', she continues.

You've recently increased your short-sea volume through APM Terminals in Gothenburg, tell us more about that!

'On the one hand, we have new customers who have chosen to move their goods from roads to shipping and on the other, customers who have changed supplier. The Port of Gothenburg is very accessible. It's a full-service port that also offers smart rail solutions. Gothenburg is a natural loading port for Sweden'.

What's your advice for people who are curious about short-sea shipping?

'Be bold and try it out! One fairly common perception is that lorry transport is smoother thanks to the possibility of warehouse-to-warehouse transport, but it's important to know that we can also offer all the steps in the transport chain just as easily and above all much more sustainably."

'For people who want to be at the forefront and also contribute to a cleaner world, I really would encourage them to consider sea transport as an equally good alternative.”

How do you see the future of short-sea shipping?

'Very bright, as we see more and more people becoming aware of short-sea solutions. Naturally, there is potential for development within the segment, for example I would like to see shorter closing times to reduce transit times. But the more people who demand short-sea, the more the segment will develop'.

'The need for using much more climate-efficient transport solutions is impossible to avoid, and short sea plays an important role here', Wilhelmina Lund concludes.