Seatruck beat other finalists to take the accolade at the Export and Freight Transport and Logistics Awards, attended by over 500 industry representatives in Belfast last Friday (September 18).

For the first time the selection of the winner was not undertaken by a judging panel but, instead, by the use of a voting system - with individual transport operators nominating their own preference based on factors such as customer service, quality of operation and reliability.

The advent of Seatruck’s three  new vessels has been a key factor in the company’s continued growth and success. They will soon be joined by the final newbuild vessel from Spain, Clipper Pennant, which will be deployed on the Liverpool – Dublin route.

With a service speed of 22 knots and capacity for 120 freight units, these new vessels provide Seatruck customers with new levels of schedule reliability and capacity. The Warrenpoint and Dublin services can now compete directly with short sea routes, enabling customers to significantly reduce road mileage by using ports closer to the origin and destination of their cargo.

Seatruck Ferries have bucked recent volume trends and actually seen an increase in volume so far in 2009, in an overall Irish Sea market which has seen a 13 per cent reduction in traffic (Source: Irish Maritime Development Office).

Seatruck continues to specialise in the unaccompanied sector. With a continued switch to more of these types of shipment - with the significant economic advantages they provide to the haulage community - Seatruck believes the company is well placed for future progress.

Seatruck Ferries Managing Director Alistair Eagles comments: "Being voted by transport operators as ‘Shipping Line of the Year’ means a great deal to everybody in the close knit Seatruck team. We are now well positioned for the future, with excellent new vessels, upgraded terminal facilities, new linkspans and a highly motivated team. Current cargo levels across the Irish Sea are down and this is having an effect on the speed of our development. However, to be in a position where we have now shipped more cargo than at the same time last year is clear evidence that our market strategy is working."

"There is a great deal of interest in our unaccompanied, freight-only model, as there are distinct economic advantages over traditional driver-accompanied movements. Operators also make significant savings by reducing road miles, using our centrally located routes rather than driving to distant ports in Wales and Scotland. We expect our market share to continue growing with the addition of Clipper Pennant on the Dublin service. We have had fantastic support from our customers and I would like to thank them all for their continued support."