Freight News, Logistics, Road

F.S. MACKENZIE CONNECTS WESTERN EUROPE TO IRAQ WITH NEW TRAILER SERVICE

[ April 20, 2011   //   Chris ]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After lengthy trials, independent freight forwarder F.S. Mackenzie has

launched guaranteed twice-weekly express road trailer services between

Western Europe and Iraq.

 

The service, which caters for express groupage and part-loads, has

been launched in response to increased business demand to supply goods

to growing markets in Iraq, especially in the Kurdistan region. It

follows the creation of a business partnership with leading Iraqi

freight forwarder and integrated logistic solutions provider, Mateen Express.

 

The service operates twice a week from hubs in Dortmund, Germany and

Basildon, England and goes to the Mateen Express hub at Erbil, Iraq.

The trailers travel via Italy where they are taken by ferry to Mersin,

Turkey for onward travel to Erbil. During the trials, F.S. Mackenzie

has been handling around two trailers a week.

 

Alfred Stienen, Managing Director, F.S. Mackenzie, knows this is the

right time to offer this new guaranteed express groupage and part-load

service between Western Europe and Iraq.

 

Stienen says: Our trials have been an absolute success and given us

the belief to launch this service to the market. There are many

freight forwarders who claim to provide a service to Iraq, but few

deliver. The market knows that Iraqi consumers and business community

are demanding more Western European goods and that F.S. Mackenzie is

now on a firm footing to serve that demand.

 

F.S. Mackenzies German hub is strategically located near Dortmund in

the heart of the industrialised Rhine and Ruhr areas and can process

shipments from all over Germany, as well as other EU countries. The UK

depot at Basildon is convenient for motorway access to many of the UKs

manufacturing districts. Both locations cement F.S Mackenzies ability

to serve exporters from these and surrounding markets.

 

During the trials, I was so pleased that we were able to move valuable

and demanding cargo such as equipment for the oil and gas industries.

This demonstrates that the export community can trust us with their

valuable cargoes. Many customers will be attracted to the fact that

cargo on this service is not transhipped on the journey.

 

Co-loading opportunities

 

As part of the Famous Pacific Shipping (FPS) global family of

forwarders, F.S. Mackenzie offers opportunities for cross trading and

co-loading onto the Iraqi service at the European hubs, as well as a

link up in Mersin or Istanbul for on-carriage into Iraq.

 

Stienen adds: As part of the FPS family, our reach is global and I

invite freight customers throughout Western Europe to connect with

this service at our Dortmund or Basildon hubs, I am especially pleased

that we have linked up with Mateen Express. Their knowledge of the

Iraqi market is a perfect complement to F.S. Mackenzies European

knowledge. Clients of both will now be able to take advantage of the

synergies we have created in this arrangement.

 

Mateen Express is a full service freight forwarder with five branches

in Iraq (Erbil, Baghdad, Basra, Sulaimanya and Duhok), a full set up

in Dubai and two of its own branches in China.