Svitzer Unifies UK Operations

A.P. Moller-Maersk's towage operator Svitzer announced it will merge its U.K. North and U.K. South clusters into one unified team, in a move targeting greater operational efficiency and service delivery across the region.

"Like most businesses, Svitzer has been affected by the global COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. In the U.K. specifically, Svitzer also faces the effects of Brexit, increased competition and continuously developing customer demands, all of which increase the need for regional alignment," the company said in a press release. 

Lise Demant, Managing Director, Svitzer Europe, said, “The U.K. North and U.K. South clusters have built a strong business foundation with well-functioning local teams and a solid market position. However, to navigate the increasing market complexity and thrive as a business going forward, we need more unified operations. Merging our U.K. clusters will further support us in optimizing  the use of our assets, increase operational agility and continue improving our service levels in the region.”  

Svitzer said the unified U.K. cluster will support improvements in reporting and operational agility by establishing a single U.K. management team; Port Managers, Cluster Technical Managers, the Head of U.K. Crewing and the Head of Svitzer’s U.K. Customer Service Center will all report to the cluster MD.

Svitzer currently operates more than 70 tugs in the U.K., with around 650 employees. The U.K. has been the starting point for the company’s EcoTow project, with Svitzer’s entire fleet in London, Felixstowe, and Southampton switching to low carbon biofuels. The service is set to be rolled out across the remaining ports in the U.K. and across Svitzer’s global operations.