First Direct Samskip Service From Morocco Arrives At London Container Terminal

Samskip has officially launched its direct Morocco to Europe service bringing fresh produce straight to the UK on the first weekly express reefer container ship to call at the London Container Terminal (LCT) in Tilbury.

Image: Forth Ports

The Samskip Toubkal made its inaugural call at LCT carrying Moroccan fresh produce, including tomatoes and citrus, ready for delivery to UK supermarkets.

The news marks the second historic moment this week for the faster, cleaner and more reliable transport of fresh produce from Morocco to the UK.

On Monday (on 17 November), DP World launched its DP World Atlas service, creating another game-changing, dedicated shipping link between Morocco, the UK and Europe.

Speed, Reliability, and Sustainability

Samskip’s Moroccan Reefer Service is a weekly short-sea container route departing from Agadir and Casablanca that offers a faster, more predictable, and greener service, according to the company.

The dedicated refrigerated cargo container service calls at Tilbury and Rotterdam, connecting Moroccan exporters directly to more than 30 destinations across Europe. 

“This connection marks a milestone for Samskip, as well as for the future of logistics between of North Africa and Northern Europe,” explained Samskip Group CEO Ólafur Orri Ólafsson, in a news statement.

“We’ve listened closely to the needs of growers, exporters, and importers, and built a service that puts their success first combining reliability, sustainability, and scale.”

Image: Samskip

Delivering Freshness From The Field

To support the Morocco-UK route, Samskip has invested in a new fleet of GPS-equipped reefer containers, including 750 forty-foot units and 250 forty-five-foot High Cube Pallet-Wide containers. 

Equipped with Controlled Atmosphere technology, the company said these containers regulate oxygen, CO₂, humidity, and temperature to keep fruit and vegetables fresh for up to 45 days, ensuring Moroccan products arrive across Europe as fresh as the day they were packed.

Samskip’s Morocco–Europe service is designed to move cargo of all types from fresh and frozen produce to industrial materials faster, greener, and smarter, providing a true alternative to long-haul road transport. 

The service offers an 80% CO₂ reduction compared to road transportation, Forth Ports said in a news statement.

Ross McKissock, Director of Unitised from Forth Ports, said the arrival of Samskip’s Moroccan service consolidates LCT’s “prime position” in the reefer market for time-critical produce.

"Our facilities at LCT on the Thames provides a fast, low carbon, reliable and cost-effective alternative to trucking from Europe, showcasing the major benefits of our specialist deep-sea offering,” McKissock explained. 

Supported by dedicated vessels, advanced reefer technology, and seamless multimodal connections across Europe, Samskip said its new service brings speed, reliability, and sustainability to one of the most dynamic trade corridors of our time.

Through Rotterdam, cargo will continue via Samskip’s extensive multimodal network, the largest in Europe, reaching Ireland, the UK, the Nordics, and Central Europe with one partner and one seamless logistics chain.