Leading short-sea operator Kursiu Linija has upgraded the frequency and efficiency of its service to the Latvian market by switching the Latvian port of call on its door-to-door service from Riga to Liepaja. It has also recently opened a new office in Latvia, as part of the planned expansion of its European office network to meet growing demand for short-sea transportation linking Eastern and Western Europe.
Kursiu Linija is now an established brand moving over 135,000 teu annually for major shippers, linking low-cost Eastern Europe suppliers with retail chains in Western Europe," explains Arijus Ramonas, managing director of Kursiu Linija. "The demands of the trade now require us to have our own offices in key locations, and that includes Latvia. Some weeks ago we registered our agency in St Petersburg, Russia. That follows the opening in July 2005 of Kursiu Linija offices in Hamburg (Germany), Rotterdam (Holland), and Felixstowe (UK). These offices will improve customer service, as we will be able to deploy one integrated IT system across all of them. The costs we save through not using an agency can be deployed into efficiency improvements in tracking units and getting closer to the customer."
Inta Bimbirule, manager of Kursiu Linija Latvia, says, "Latvia is an important market for Kursiu Linija, and an important part of our network. Establishing a dedicated office there is a demonstration of our commitment to Latvia and to our customers' interests."
Switching the Latvian port of call from Riga means that Kursiu Linija will be able to get a container out of the Terrabalt Terminal at Liepaja, deliver it to Riga, reload in Riga and be on the way back to Liepaja in the same time it currently takes to just get a unit out of the terminal at Riga. The Terrabalt Terminal is a privately owned, railway-connected facility operated by highly experienced staff.
The Kursiu Linija service for the Latvian market will now be upgraded from a weekly to a four-day service due to savings in sailing times resulting from the switch to Liepaja. In time, Kursiu hopes to upgrade this frequency from four to three days. The Kursiu vessels that will be calling at Liepaja are the George Mitchell and the Condor.
Lithuania-based Kursiu Linija is an intra-European carrier providing cost-effective door-to-door transportation services between the Baltic States, Poland, the CIS and the UK and Northern Europe. Its fleet of five vessels serves Klaipeda, Liepaja, Kaliningrad, Gdansk, Teesport, Ipswich, Zeebrugge, Rotterdam, Hamburg and Bremerhaven.
Kursiu Linija provides secure and just-in-time transportation to major retail chains and manufacturers, including Masterfoods, Philip Morris, Procter & Gamble and IKEA.
