P&O Ferrymasters is opening a new office in Poland to meet rising demand for forwarding and intermodal services in Eastern Europe. The office in Chorzów near Katowice opens on 5 May and expects to move 1,000 Full Trailer Loads (FTL) in 2008, rising to 5,000 FTLs by 2010.
Katowice is at the centre of a major steel production area, close to a new rail hub and just 20km from Poland’s largest inland port.
Herman Braam, freight management division director, said: “Our expansion strategy lies firmly with the emerging markets of Eastern Europe and so, strategically, Poland is very important to P&O Ferrymasters. We expect Katowice to become an important hub in our future rail strategy as it is key to the new emerging markets of the Ukraine, Bulgaria and Turkey as well as linking well with some of our historically strong markets like Italy, Greece and Spain.
Ferrymasters is also exploring the viability of a block train into Poland with improved connections to the east to capture business on the trade lanes operating between Hungary and Romania, Poland and the Czech Republic and Hungary to Poland as well as the traditional east to west traffic. The Polish operation follows similar strategic office openings in Bucharest (February 2008) and Budapest (2006).
