Building bridges with multimodal options

SUARDIAZ GROUP I PROFILE

BUILDING BRIDGES WITH MULTIMODAL

Spain’s Suardiaz Group is a multimodal transport and global logistics specialist, operating RoRo car carriers and a bunker fleet across Europe and the Mediterranean region. In response to rising demand for its services, the group is adopting ambitious plans, including a new service between Spain and Morocco. Profile by Andy Probert.

Established in 1945, Suardiaz Group began as a shipping operator before embarking into other transportation sectors, such as forwarding, and transitioning into a logistics specialist, with a global reach that covers rail, terminals, warehouses and air freight.

Today, Suardiaz, headquartered in Madrid, is a truly multimodal transport and global logistics service, with offices and representatives in France, Morocco, Algeria, Mexico, and Peru.

Its main business focus is operating a fleet of RoRo car carriers across Europe and the Mediterranean region and offering bunkering services.

The family-owned group also maintains a fleet of road haulage for door-to-door services and manages railway terminals at Barcelona Port, Granollers, Tarragona, Sagunto, Leon and Sevilla (La Negrilla).

Diversified and synergised

“Having such a diverse range of activities and synergies across the group, we can offer our clients comprehensive logistics based on many multimodal options,” commented Group Commercial Director Marcos Duato.

Suardiaz Shipping Lines, the division that oversees maritime transport services, was a pioneer in the RoRo sector in Spain when it first began operating in the 1970s. Today its seven RoRos cargoes are mainly finished vehicles and trailers, containing components, and combined these with high and heavy loads, such as wind turbines and diversified machineries.

The RoRos, some of which are equipped with hoistable decks for large loads, operate in the West Med and Atlantic corridor of Europe, from Belgium in the north to Morocco in the south.

SUARDIAZ GROUP I PROFILE

“The main home ports for our RoRos are Vigo, Tangiers and Barcelona from which most of our business flows,” outlined Mr Duato. “Automotive accounts for 80% of the shipping division’s business, but we also offer services to the textile and agri-food industries.”

Main clients include leading global automakers such as Stellantis Group, Renault, Volkswagen Group, Toyota and Hyundai/Kia. He explained: “The majority of cargo is outbound, so we take finished vehicles from the factories in Spain and Morocco into the north of Europe.

“From the north of Europe we load a mix of vehicles and H&H (high and heavy) cargo and we bring that back into Spain, Portugal, Canary Islands and Morocco.”

RoRo capacities vary depending on the vessels used. Some can carry 1,200 cars and 100 trailers for short, high-frequency routes, while the company’s larger vessels can carry upwards of 3,200 units.

Mr Duato explained the ages of the vessels range between ten to 20 years and reflect the group’s ongoing considerations in the face of uncertainty within the global shipping industry over emissions, fuel and environmental restrictions.

“As a medium-sized group, we have to be very careful with our investments on fleet. A vessel can last a long time, and if you make the incorrect choice, you may have the wrong vessel for the next 25 years,” he cautioned.

“At this moment, we are postponing our decisions on new generation vessels because we’re unsure on the right vessel propulsion. We will await until the regulations are implemented and then make a decision; one that will have a higher probability of being right on the type of vessels we require.”

Value-added services

The company operates Suardiaz Atlántica, a regular high-frequency maritime line between Vigo and Nantes / St Nazaire ports. Operated by RoRos at least three times a week, it is cofinanced by the Marco Polo Programme of the European Commission, and France and Spain.

In recent times, Suardiaz Group launched a new twice-weekly RoRo service connecting Tangier, in Morocco, with Barcelona, with the ability to transport all types of cargo, such as textile, fruit and vegetables, distribution, retail, spare parts for the automotive industry and finished vehicles.

The company has also anchored its presence in the provision of three oil barges to provide fuel to bigger vessels in port. One vessel has been adapted to offer traditional fuels and LNG.

Suardiaz Group also has another maritime-linked division related to special cargo projects and which continues to grow significantly as it is being called on to provide additional services. All services are underpinned by a 700-strong workforce, including in-house crew management.

While most non-essential services came to a halt during the pandemic, Mr Duato said the company reacted quickly by releasing part of the chartered vessels and selling off smaller tonnage with a view to emerging stronger and leaner.

“There are still some hangovers from the pandemic, not least the supply of microchips to the automotive sector. This has had a knock-on effect on the supply of vehicles, and to logistics specialists like ourselves with low traffic volumes,” he said.

With greater synergy between the multimodal options across the Group, the company sees more flow between sea, rail and road. “We are doing more land-based transport for car manufacturers, and we are moving into the inbound logistics with door to door solutions, with supplies to factories.

“We are focusing on where the factories are located close to the sea and only on the flows suitable for a multimodal solution involving the sea. This includes growing our rail transportation options, linked to movement in and out of the ports.

Logistics specialist

Mr Duato continued: “Maritime solutions remain at the heart of our operations, but now feature as part of a number of transportation options. It is a complete one-stop solution for the logistics supply chain.”

Indeed, Slisa, a Suardiaz subsidiary dedicated to managing railway terminals, saw a 36% increase in intermodal traffic management in its terminals.

The biggest challenges currently being faced by the group, revealed Mr Duato, include the ongoing volatility in the industry, the ever-evolving regulations for shipping, and the shortage of capacity in the global market.

On the sustainability front, Suardiaz Group is reviewing how it can reduce emissions in ports by optimising vessel routes and speed.

L’ Audace, a Suardiaz ship, also undertook its first pilot test in the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Vigo, supplying electric energy to the vessel from LNG. The actions took place within the Core LNGas Hive project, a decarbonisation initiative co-financed by the European Commission. The project has 42 members, of which Suardiaz is one, to develop and improve the adequate logistic supply of LNG to the maritime sector.

“We are now negotiating with the ports of Vigo and Nantes-St Nazaire in regards to installing power points so our vessels can be plugged into electricity rather than burn fuel while in port,” Mr Duato revealed.

“We are fully committed to the green agenda, and we want to achieve that in the best way possible for the environment and our clients,” affirmed Mr Duato. “Suardiaz comes to the sector with a diversified business model compared to other shipping competitors. We try to be as close as possible to our clients and offer greater flexibility to adapt to their demands.”

He concluded: “Suardiaz Group sees itself as a small but necessary niche player in the market. We have open and long-lasting relations with clients. We focus in providing excellent services, fulfil our promises and ensure they enjoy a value-added experience every time.” n