CLdN has announced its plans to expand its freight connections between Ireland, the UK, and mainland Europe following its acquisition of Samskip's UK and Ireland door-to-door and quay-to-quay activities.
The shipping line initially reached an agreement for the transaction in February 2026, which remains subject to regulatory approval.
Under the current schedule, the firm operates 24 direct sailings per week between the Irish ports of Dublin and Cork and Rotterdam, Zeebrugge, and Santander in mainland Europe. Once clearance is granted, CLdN stated it will add dedicated container connections to Waterford and Belfast, alongside extra weekly sailings to Dublin and Cork.
According to the shipping line, the expansion aligns with its strategy of offering complementary roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro) and lift-on/lift-off (Lo-Lo) services using its own fleet. CLdN expects to begin taking delivery of its new fleet of 1,100 TEU container ships in early 2027.
These newly designed open-top vessels are intended to reduce port handling times and will complement more than 30 existing roll-on/roll-off ships. The acquisition will also add some 5,000 pallet-wide containers of 45 feet (13.7 metres) to the fleet.
The transaction also includes a sizeable fleet of refrigerated containers measuring 45 feet (13.7 metres), as well as flatrack containers of 20 feet (6.1 metres) and 40 feet (12.2 metres).
As part of the current operations, Dublin has 14 weekly sailings to Rotterdam, representing seven return voyages, as well as four sailings to Zeebrugge and two to Santander.
Meanwhile, Cork has four weekly sailings to both Rotterdam and Zeebrugge.
Following the integration, Waterford will receive two weekly sailings to Rotterdam. Belfast is also scheduled to receive two weekly sailings to Rotterdam under the new arrangements.
