Meachers Group has today announced that it has renewed its five-year logistics service contract with Britain’s largest cruise shipping company, Carnival UK. To support Carnival UK’s fast expanding fleet which now consists of ships belonging to P&O Cruises, Princess Cruises, Cunard and Ocean Village Holidays, Meachers will be expanding its dedicated Carnival UK warehousing by 12,000 square foot to 33,000 square foot and will also be recruiting and training additional specialist personnel to join the Meachers/Carnival team. Through its dedicated storage and distribution facilities for Carnival UK’s fleet, Meachers is managing a complete warehousing and freight forwarding service including pick and pack, the transportation of goods to the Southampton berthed superliners and exporting supplies to Carnival ships throughout the world.
Goods handled by Meachers Carnival facility encompass a complete weight range from toilet tissue through to carpets, fabrics and engine spares weighing over 35 tonnes. During the Mediterranean season, the ships are serviced by Meachers alongside The Mayflower Cruise Terminal in Southampton. In addition trailers are shipped through Meachers freight forwarding arm, Oast Agencies, to the Ocean Village ships operating out of Palma, Majorca and Limassol, Cyprus.
When the ships re-station in the Caribbean in late autumn, Meachers warehouse team provides overseas support by loading an ever-increasing volume of containers. These are managed and shipped, to ports all around the world by Oast Agencies whose experienced team ensures the containers arrive in good time before the ship docks so that the away ports can restore the vessels. The arrival of Ventura, which was recently fitted out with materials managed and shipped through the combined services of the Meachers Group in the Italian Fincantieri shipyard, has further expanded Carnival UK’s Southampton based fleet. However, whilst the company was gearing up for the arrival of Ventura, US parent company Carnival Corporation announced that Carnival UK would be assuming full control of the Cunard and P&O Australia ships in additional to the P&O Cruises and Ocean Village fleet.
“This means that Meachers Group will go from servicing seven ships in 2007 to 11 ships in 2008 with the arrival of Ventura, and Queen Victoria”, said Stuart Terris, General Manager of Meachers Group. “The arrival of the newest addition to the P&O Cruises fleet in 2010 and the new Queen Elizabeth also planned for 2010 will bring the total fleet to at least 13 vessels. By choosing Meachers, Carnival UK has endorsed the Group’s ability to provide them with a complete freight solution”.
Last year Carnival UK broke the record for the number of cruise passengers passing through the Port of Southampton. With the launch of the P&O Cruises ship Ventura now sailing from Southampton and the launch of Cunard’s Queen Victoria last December, these numbers are sure to increase.
Meachers Group Holdings Ltd
Tel: 023 80739999
www.meachers.co.uk
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