Intercontainer-Interfrigo launched a restructured servicepattern in July, concentrating on ’promising intermodal traffic flows between western Europe and central, eastern and southeast Europe’ and shuttle services to Switzerland.
Following a drop in volumes and sales, services between Belgium and France, Spain and Italy were withdrawn from July 16; 40 jobs have gone at ICF’s Basel headquarters.
During the 2004 financial year container traffic fell 4·3% to 702800TEU, with the mean distance up 1·5% to 1167 km. Turnover was €261m, down 5·6%, and the year closed with a net loss of €8·6m, including extraordinary restructuring expenditure. On December 31 2004 ICF had a fleet of 4684 vehicles, down from 4903 the previous year.
Traffic from German seaports and Rotterdam to Switzerland and central and southeast Europe saw double-digit growth, while traffic from Belgium to France, Spain and Italy fell ’for reasons connected with persistent poor quality traction standards, external economic influences and sharp price hikes that it was impossible to pass on to the market’.
In February and March this year, ICF launched shuttles linking Sopron with Mannheim and Verona. Logistics offices are currently being opened at the borders between Hungary and Romania, Romania and Bulgaria, and Bulgaria and Turkey.
