On 17 February 2026, Samskip announced an agreement with Belgian-Luxembourg operator Cldn for the sale of its freight transport activities between continental Europe, the United Kingdom and Ireland, covering both quay-to-quay services and door-to-door solutions. The transaction concerns the container services currently operated between Rotterdam and the UK ports of Belfast, Blyth, Grangemouth, Hull and Tilbury, as well as the Irish ports of Cork, Dublin and Waterford. The sale includes the transfer of operations related to UK and Ireland traffic, including existing operational agreements. The transaction remains subject to approval by the competent regulatory and competition authorities. The parties have agreed not to disclose the financial details.
For Samskip, the aim is to ensure continuity and high service levels for customers in the UK and Ireland corridor, while concentrating resources on developing its long-distance multimodal network linking continental Europe with the Nordic countries, the Baltic states and North Africa. The company stressed that sustainability is a cornerstone of its industrial strategy and that strengthening longer-distance routes will support the decarbonisation of customers’ supply chains.
“This transaction is highly complementary to Cldn’s existing maritime and multimodal activities,” said Florent Maes, chief executive of Cldn, highlighting the expansion of transport services and door-to-door solutions available to shippers between the continent, the United Kingdom and Ireland. Ólafur Orri Ólafsson, chief executive of Samskip, underlined that the sale will allow the company to focus on future strategic markets, while maintaining commercial coverage in the UK and Ireland markets through what he described as a solid partner.
The acquisition forms part of Cldn’s growth strategy. The Luxembourg-based maritime logistics group, whose roots date back to 1929, is structured around three main divisions: Cldn Roro for roll-on/roll-off maritime services, Cldn Cargo for door-to-door transport using trailers and containers, and Cldn Ports for the management of dedicated terminals in Belgium, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
Cldn employs more than 3,000 people across Europe and operates a fleet of more than 30 ro-ro vessels, with over 200 weekly sailings between North European ports, including Zeebrugge, Rotterdam, Dublin, Cork, Purfleet, Killingholme and Liverpool. Its direct involvement in the management of ro-ro terminals enables the group to integrate port infrastructure with liner services, maintaining operational control that reduces transit times and enhances the reliability of logistics chains.
In the Irish Sea, the acquisition of Seatruck Ferries in 2022 strengthened access to the ports of Liverpool and Dublin, consolidating Cldn’s position on routes between Ireland and the United Kingdom. In the period following Brexit, several analysts have highlighted growth in direct links between Ireland and continental Europe, with an increase in services between Dublin, Rotterdam and Zeebrugge. In February 2026, Cldn also announced a 55-year agreement with the port of Warrenpoint in Northern Ireland to ensure continuity of freight operations at the port. The agreement consolidates its presence in the Irish Sea corridor, where, according to information released by the port, around 95% of consumer goods destined for the island of Ireland travel by sea.
