New agreement with Hull in England strengthens delivery reliability

“We have conducted a thorough review in which we have compared various alternatives. Our overall analysis was that Hull, along with Global Shipping Services, is the best alternative in terms of meeting our customers’ needs,” says Lotta Åkre, Commercial Manager within Sourcing & Logistics at SCA.

Taking full responsibility provides clarity

The new contract means that Global Shipping Services will take on overall responsibility for operations in Hull, including unloading, warehousing and dispatch. Global Shipping Services has a wealth of experience of terminal operations in Hull and Humberside and has been working with SCA in the port for many years as an operator, although not with responsibility for warehousing.

“We have worked with SCA in Hull for more than 20 years. By extending that relationship and taking full responsibility for the terminal, we can manage operations locally with an experienced team,” says Peter Waud, Managing Director of Global Shipping Services.

For our customers this means a more cohesive arrangement in one of the most important nodes in the UK market.

“When responsibility and operations rest with the same partner, we have a clearer structure and better conditions for controlling the operation. This creates stability in deliveries and makes us less vulnerable to changes in volumes over time,” says Lotta Åkre.

The new model is consistent with how SCA Logistics works in several other ports, where one partner has overall responsibility on site.

The relationship between Global Shipping Services in Hull and SCA continues to develop and strengthen. The Port of Hull plays a central role in SCA’s logistics flows to the UK, with strong connections to customers across the country.

Hull, well-situated for the market

Hull has long been a key port for SCA’s logistics flows to the United Kingdom. The location provides good access to end customers and efficient freight forwarding inland. The evaluation looked at other ports as possible alternatives but the overall picture convinced SCA Logistics to remain in Hull.

”There are several good options on the market. However, when we weighed up the geography, infrastructure, capacity and established logistics flows, we could see that Hull is still the solution that best supports our customers’ businesses,” says Lotta Åkre.

“Hull’s location on the Humber, in the center of UK makes it a natural entery point for forest products. From here, most of the UK can be reached within a few hours,” says Peter Waud.

The main cargo shipped to Hull is timber products, although pulp is also shipped there. By consolidating cargoes into larger volumes, the conditions are created for effective departures, high delivery precision and long-term planning. Larger, more coordinated shipments also help to reduce emissions per transported tonne of cargo.

The contract is for five years, a long-term commitment in a market where circumstances can change rapidly. However, the port has the capacity to deal with both present volumes and a future increase.

“In our assessment, this arrangement gives us the right balance between stability and flexibility. It’s a solution that works well today and that also provides room to grow together with our customers,” says Lotta Åkre.

SCA’s wood operations an important part in the solution

Timber products from SCA currently account for the largest volumes of cargo bound for Hull. The wood operations has also articipated in the process and the new structure also helps to improve coordination along the logistics chain for timber products.

“With Global Shipping Services overseeing both the terminal and the warehouse, coordination between vessel discharge, storage and onward distribution becomes clearer. This supports more efficient handling and more reliable lead times for our customers across the UK market,” says Camilla Fish, Managing Director of SCA Wood UK.

Text from New Ways Magazine no. 1 2026: Jennie Zetterqvist
Photo: Global Shipping Services, Håkan Sjödin