SCS Amsterdam Tilbury service Pengalia vessel image

The Pengalia will be docking on 8 April

London Container Terminal (LCT) in Tilbury has secured a four-year agreement with SCS Multiport to handle the newly upgraded Amsterdam Tilbury Service (ATS).

The upgrade comes on the back of long-term commitments from a number of cargo owners, reflecting the success of the service, according to LCT. The three times a week shuttle between Amsterdam and Tilbury will see a 50 per cent capacity upgrade with the arrival of the Pengalia, a 700 TEU vessel scheduled to make her first call at LCT on 8April.

The service will carry cargo including food, construction materials, bricks, cocoa and animal foods.

Ross McKissock, asset manager at LCT, said: “It's great to have secured a further four years with SCS and to be able to support their significant investment into this service. We already have a successful relationship with SCS, who benefit from our location, efficiency and ongoing transportation links to their market in the UK.

'Today's announcement follows the news last week that we have also secured Seatrade's Rapid transit New Zealand and Pacific service - the fastest service from NZ to the UK.'

SCS Multiport’s Anton van Hattem added: 'Forth Ports and SCS Multiport have built a strong relationship over the past five years. This joint effort has enabled us to provide a high level of logistic service to our customers. It is time to grow to the next level with bigger volumes, more equipment and another vessel which has an intake that is twice as large as the current vessel.'