DB Schenker resumed UK-EU services for “compliant” consignments from Thursday having previously suspended the route last week due to problems with new customs formalities.

The German firm was not alone in facing disruption as a result of the UK leaving the EU single market and customs union at the end of the transition period.

DHL also suspended some of its UK-EU services this week.

Significant issues

DB Schenker, however, has resolved “significant issues” it was having with many of its customers not having the required paperwork to move goods between the UK and EU.

It will only accept and collect shipments to the UK henceforth if the necessary exporter and importer documentation has correctly completed and provided to them, Lloyd’s Loading List reports.

DPD has also resumed its previously suspended UK-EU services.

Ferry backlog

Shippers are also adjusting to the changing trade flows between not just the UK and EU, but also Great Britain and Northern Ireland where new rules have come into effect under the NI Protocol.

Stena Line, the largest ferry operator on the Irish Sea, has added an additional eight ferry sailings over the Irish Sea this weekend to deal with additional freight demands, NI Ferry reports.

The additional sailings will run till Monday from Belfast to Cairnryan, Hersham, and Birkenhead.

Dublin port 

Ongoing problems at Dublin port, caused by the new customs requirements for UK-EU trade, have led Irish hauliers to call for intervention from Brussels.

Drivers have reported being held at the port for up to three days awaiting approvals on electronically submitted documents, and at least two IT system crashes have added to the delays.

Although Dublin is still operating at lower volumes than usual, the Irish Road Haulage Association has written to the European Commission warning that disjointed customs and clearance systems were impacting supply chains, Politico reports.

Companies delayed

More than half of companies moving goods to or from the EU this month have experienced delays due to new administrative demands and costs, according to a survey by the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS) survey reported in the FT. 

Some 60% of the 444 respondents said goods were reaching the UK more slowly from Europe, with 37% reporting delays of several days.

CIPS economist John Glen told the Telegraph that a continuation of delays could lead to shortages in shops within a matter of weeks. 

“As the transportation of goods grows, so will the queues, and businesses may be forced to limit or halt production to cope with any potential stock shortages,” he said.