After the last ship calls of the year to Ittoqqortoormiit and Tasiilaq, Royal Arctic Line has received inquiries from citizens who want an extra ship call before winter. The concern is whether the delivered goods will last until the next call.
Royal Arctic Line has been in close dialog with KNI to ensure that all booked goods have arrived at the right destinations. Together we have followed up on questions about deliveries, and the assessment is that the goods booked for the last ship have been delivered as planned.
Malik Arctica, which has a capacity of 500 20-foot containers, was the last ship to East Greenland this year. In connection with the last call, our customers booked the equivalent of 100 20-foot containers. This means that only 1/5 of the ship’s capacity was utilized. Any missing cargo is therefore not due to a lack of capacity, but to a lack of bookings in connection with the last call.
Lack of date-sensitive goods
Based on the inquiries and the dialog we have had with our customers, we believe that the biggest concern is the prospect of a shortage of date-sensitive goods over the winter. In collaboration with our customers, we have investigated how much cargo a possible extra ship call could bring. The reported volumes are so limited that it is not worthwhile to deploy an extra ship even if it were possible.
Single price system
Royal Arctic Line’s prices are based on a single price system. This means that the price is the same no matter where or from where the goods are sent. All other things being equal, air freight will always be a more expensive mode of transportation to use when transporting goods and therefore our customers experience cheaper prices when shipping by ship rather than by air. However, the cost is the same whether the ship is carrying 10 containers or 500 containers. For this reason, an air connection is considered the most economical and expedient solution – especially when it comes to fast and secure delivery of date-sensitive goods during the months when sea transportation is not possible.
Previously, date-sensitive goods were flown to East Greenland via a flight connection from Iceland. However, this connection has been discontinued. We are aware that air freight immediately entails higher costs than sea freight and therefore understand the desire for an extra ship call. However, even with an additional call, there will still be more than six months without a ship call. An extra ship call will therefore not change the availability of date-sensitive goods over the winter.
Not just date-sensitive goods
In the inquiries Royal Arctic Line has received from citizens, it is not only date-sensitive goods that are requested. We would like to encourage our customers to pay attention to Royal Arctic Line’s sailing schedule, which is available on the company’s website. The sailing schedule is known a year in advance, and with good planning and dialog with Royal Arctic Line, we can together ensure that the goods that are to be transported on the last ship can be delivered before winter.
Any questions can be directed to Royal Arctic Line’s CCO, John Aage Nielsen at johni@ral.gl.
