Interview with
Mr. Jan Kroll (Director) and Mr. Pieter Fourie (Logistics Manager)
For starters, would you please explain a bit about the history of Danbrit. The name would imply, I think, that there is a Danish/British connection here, right?
Yes. Danbrit Shipping Limited was founded in 1988 by Peter Aarosin (Danish) as a shipping business mainly concentrating on vessel / cargo chartering and agency business. Jan Kroll (also Danish) joined the business in 1989 as chartering broker. Over the years, the business has developed into a company offering the following services:
- Vessel and cargo chartering
- Vessel agency services
- International freight forwarding services
- European haulage road services
- Warehousing
- Stevedoring services throughout the UK, especially for project and out of gauge cargoes
Do you have experience in handling project cargoes, and if so, could you provide our readers with a few examples of cargoes that you have looked after?
Absolutely. Project logistics is one of our key strengths and one of the verticals we target the most. The renewable industry is an important out of gauge / project sector, and in recent times, with the global focus on renewable energy and the Humber area of East Yorkshire becoming a hub for such cargoes, we’ve been involved with a few such projects. Besides this we are also actively involved in the construction, forest products, heavy engineering, mining and extraction, oil, gas and petrochemicals, military, defence, steel, and scrap metal areas, as well as the waste and recycling sectors.
The UK is now no longer a part of the EU. Tell us what that means for you in both the short-term and the long-term views?
The UK leaving the EU resulted in more paperwork and frustrations for our customers. The single market will be greatly missed. We can only hope that common sense will prevail and see that the UK and mainland Europe again will get back to close cooperation for mutual benefit.
Has the COVID-19 situation affected your business?
There was an initial decline in business, but this stabilised, and we’ve seen an increase in business over the last 6 months. The biggest challenge was in not being able to visit customers, but luckily, we are now in a position to visit them again.
How would you summarize the services of Danbrit, and why would you say that you are a good choice for any would be customer?
Danbrit is a boutique logistics provider specializing in project logistics, shipment of bulk cargoes like aggregates, cement, steel, scrap, and waste cargo as well as agribulks. Our strength lies in the handling of out of gauge cargo, vessel chartering, port agency, port storage and stevedoring. We’ve also become a very active player in the air freight market in the UK.
Together with our sister companies such as East Trans (trucking company with 50 owned lorries and warehousing facilities in the Humber area) and TDL Wind (a JV between Thor Shipping & Transport UK Ltd and Danbrit Holdings Ltd focusing on logistics for the renewable energy sector in the UK), we are geared to handle any projects, no matter how big or small. We leave no stone unturned in ensuring that we deliver what we have promised our customers.
Danbrit Shipping has developed a reputation as being a one-stop, logistics provider for cargoes coming in and out of the UK, and many of the larger project forwarders are utilising our services such as chartering, port agency and stevedoring. Trusting us to handle their cargo, they see us as an extension of their service offering to their clients, rather than a competitor, and we’ve built valuable relationships through this approach.
Are you currently part of any freight forwarding networks? Do you find it useful?
Yes, we are a member of the Cross Ocean Network. The members are very active, and all seem to be hungry for business which is a great fit for us. Besides this, the support from Cross Ocean’s management, as well as the weekly sales leads we receive, makes this a great network to be part of and to grow our business.
How is it best for our subscribers to get in touch with you?
Our full contact details are on www.danbrit.co.uk. We can also be contacted directly at jan.kroll@danbrit.co.uk and pieter@danbrit.co.uk.
