Mr. Ulrik Sorensen
Commercial Manager
Tell us about the EUKOR RoRo service from Europe to Asia.
EUKOR has various services/trades depending on which market in Asia one is looking for. For certain countries such as China and Korea, we have at least a weekly sailing from Sweden, Germany, Belgium and the UK. For Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore we have a bi-weekly service. Certain countries such as Indonesia, Brunei, Vietnam, Philippines and Thailand are serviced via transshipment in Singapore.
What is the ramp capacity generally for your vessels and the max width/height that may pass through the opening?
Due to different vessel classes/types it varies, but the majority of the vessels in our fleet have a ramp capacity of 150 tons, a door height of 5.15 m and a door width of 7~8m.
Who are the owners of EUKOR ?
EUKOR Car Carriers Inc. is owned 20% by Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Motors in Korea. The remaining 80% is owned by the Wallenius Wilhelmsen Group which consist of Wallenius in Stockholm and Wilhelmsen in Oslo.
Can you provide us with some examples of high and heavy cargoes that you have handled onboard your RoRo vessels?
EUKOR has carried a huge variety of high and heavy cargo over the years. The list is long and besides the usual suspects such as generators, steel reels/plates and machinery we have also shipped aircraft parts, helicopters, trains, wind mills and even a whole amusement park.
Do you also provide services for high and heavy cargo from Asia to Europe, and if so, please share which are your main load ports?
Yes, we do provide services for high and heavy loads from Asia to Europe. Main ports of loading are listed as follows:
KOR
- Incheon
- Pyeongtaek
- Gunsan
- Mokpo
- Kwangyang
- Masan
- Ulsan
JPN
- Hakata
- Moji
- Kobe
- Sakai
- Nagoya
- Toyohashi
- Hitachinaka
- Kisarazu
- Yokohama
CHN
- Dalian
- Xingang
- Yantai
- Qingdao
- Lianyungang
- Shanghai
- Xiamen
- Huangpu
Are you able to accept shipper’s own containers on board as well?
Yes, but they will have to be loaded onto a roll trailer (mafi).
Why is RoRo a good solution for moving high and heavy cargoes? It was traditionally for moving rolling stock and cars etc. only I believe?
RoRo vessels were indeed originally developed for the purpose of transporting cars, but have turned into something completely different over the years. Their main purpose is still for the transport of cars, but other rolling cargo such as mobile cranes, busses, trucks, excavators and break bulk cargo either lose or on our roll trailer equipment.
The benefit of using RoRo vessels compared to the conventional break bulk carriers is that the cargo can be driven on board under much faster, cheaper and safer conditions than being loaded with cranes. Heavy breakbulk is securely lashed in order to handle equipment from port to port, therefore there is less lifting involved.
This increases safety and quality of service. With RoRo, cargo is kept on climate-controlled fully sheltered decks with no risk of water or humidity for the entire sea voyage. Unlike conventional tramp carriers RoRo liner service operates with higher frequencies and scheduled timetables providing customers with reliable services.
Tell our readers a bit about yourself. Why, or rather how come you chose a career in shipping? Where did you work before and for how many years have you been active in RoRo shipping?
I am a 44 year old Dane, married to a Swede whom I met in Turkey back in ’99. Since then we have lived in Italy, Morocco, Denmark, England, Sweden, Norway and since 2010 we have been living in Germany with our three children.
I originally come from a small village in Denmark and I knew from an early age that I wanted to travel the world and shipping seemed to be one of the ways to do just that. I started my shipping career as a trainee with Maersk, but ended up in the RoRo industry by coincidence.
After I left Maersk I worked as a tour guide, in a container line agency and for a special vehicle provider where my first contact with the RoRo industry began. I joined Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics in Stockholm in 2005, but moved to Oslo in 2008 to work for UECC, which is 50% owned by Wallenius. I joined EUKOR Car Carriers Inc. in 2010 at their European HQ in Germany. In connection with a structural change in both EUKOR and Wallenius Wilhelmsen our European HQ was moved to Stockholm last year and is placed in the same office as what is now known as Wallenius Wilhelmsen Ocean.
How to get in touch with you in EUKOR for more information or a quote if you are:
aa/ based in Northern Europe?
bb/ based in The Med?
cc/ based in Asia?
Suggest to take a look under Contact us / Global Network on our homepage: https://www.eukor.com/
For Freight rate enquiries and cargo information, please contact rate@eukor.com
More information about offices, please visit https://www.eukor.com/ek/homepage/04_ContactUs/offices.do
