Maritime Transport, the fast-growing UK rail and road logistics operator and terminal management company, has been bought out by MEDLOG. The Geneva headquartered global logistics and supply chain provider has taken control of the UK company starting today. The news had been kept quiet by both parties until the announcement. MEDLOG is the overland subsidiary of shipping giant MSC, which operates the largest container fleet in the world.

The Felixstowe-based UK firm Maritime Transport is passing to Naples by way of Geneva. The acquisition by MEDLOG will make the UK landslide logistics operator part of the MSC group. To what extent that may impact on Maritime rail operations, particularly intermodal traffic at Britain’s busiest container port and rail terminal, is a matter of positive speculation. For now, however, it’s business as usual.

One of the success stories of British industry

After 23 years of steady growth, Maritime has attracted a powerful suitor in MSC through the Italian shipping company’s land transport arm, MEDLOG. Initial reports are that the acquisition is a purely financial transaction. The management and brand of Maritime will remain in place. So, Britain’s rails will still see the deep blue of Maritime’s distinctive fleet of locomotives, which will not be usurped by the black-on-yellow of MEDLOG.

Maritime was established in 2001 under the leadership of Executive Chairman John Williams, who remains at the helm of the company. It has been one of the success stories of British industry. Maritime has grown to become an asset-rich business with 41 sites, including a network of rail freight terminals, offering 36 daily rail services, many of them intermodal operations from Felixstowe. The company has 3,000 personnel, and in addition to its rail operations, it runs a fleet of 1,600 Euro-6-compliant heavy goods vehicles (HGVs).

Common heritage, culture, values and understanding

Maritime is in good health. The last annual report returned a gross profit of over £100m (€117m). The company only opened a new container handling facility in Liverpool this week and has recently signed management deals to handle traffic at some strategically important rail and logistics terminals in the UK. The latter developments may well be of interest to MSC’s logistics management division, Terminal Investment Limited (TIL). There is, however, no hint of management passing out of the direct hands of Maritime.

“We are really pleased to have secured the long-term future of the business,” said John Williams in comments made to our sister publication, WorldCargo News. “[We are now] part of an independent, global logistics organisation capable of providing the continued investment to help us with our exciting plans to develop the company for all our stakeholders. In MEDLOG, we share a common heritage, culture, values and understanding. We look forward to their support in realising the full potential of Maritime and our commitment to our valued employees, customers and suppliers.”

Wealth of knowledge within Maritime

John Williams went on to stress the continued independence of Maritime. “We will continue to develop practical, technology-driven, infrastructure-led supply chain solutions and set a high bar for service performance in the UK with new battery electric trucks on order and our rail terminals operating on an open access basis for existing and new customers.”

From Geneva, Giuseppe Prudente, the Chairman of MEDLOG, was equally enthusiastic about the prospect of expanding his company’s logistics footprint in the United Kingdom. “MEDLOG specialises in intermodal transportation, providing solutions in more than 80 countries,” he said. “The wealth of knowledge within Maritime, coupled with the investment and expertise from MEDLOG, will power continued innovation into the UK’s logistics infrastructure for the future in a manner that’s aligned with our values and the respect we hold for the environment.”

Maritime’s current management team, headed by John Williams, will remain with the business and continue to run the company, with new investment support from MEDLOG under the ‘Maritime’ brand.

Original reporting by Jasmina Ovčina Mandra at WorldCargo News, with additional UK insight by Simon Walton.