Svitzer Europe Unifies UK Operations

Svitzer, leading global towage provider and part of A.P. Moller-Maersk, announces the merger of its UK North and UK South clusters, into one unified team. Bringing the teams together will enable Svitzer to streamline its operations, optimize customer service and manage the continued complexity in the region more effectively.

Like most businesses, Svitzer has been affected by the global COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. In the UK specifically, Svitzer also faces the effects of Brexit, increased competition and continuously developing customer demands, all of which increase the need for regional alignment. Empowering the local organisation and enabling faster decision making is key to remaining highly competitive and maintaining high customer satisfaction in the UK market.

The unified UK cluster will support improvements in reporting and operational agility by establishing a single UK management team; Port Managers, Cluster Technical Managers, the Head of UK Crewing and the Head of Svitzer’s UK Customer Service Center will all report to the cluster MD.

Commenting on the merger, Lise Demant, Managing Director, Svitzer Europe said: “The UK North and UK South clusters have built a strong business foundation with well-functioning local teams and a solid market position. However, to navigate the increasing market complexity and thrive as a business going forward, we need more unified operations. Merging our UK clusters will further support us in optimising the use of our assets, increase operational agility and continue improving our service levels in the region.”

Svitzer currently operates more than 70 tugs in the UK, with around 650 employees. The UK has been the starting point for the company’s EcoTow project, with Svitzer’s entire fleet in London, Felixstowe, and Southampton switching to low carbon biofuels. The service is set to be rolled out across the remaining ports in the UK and across Svitzer’s global operations.