What CLdN does

CLdN is a privately held European short-sea logistics operator founded in 1929, headquartered in London following the May 2026 relocation of shipping operations from Luxembourg. The company owns and operates a fleet of 30+ purpose-built RoRo vessels running more than 200 weekly sailings between the European continent, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Iberia, and Scandinavia, complemented by nine owned port terminals across the UK, Belgium, and the Netherlands and additional terminal handling services at ports in Sweden, Spain, and Portugal. Following the June 2026 acquisition of Samskip's UK and Ireland business, CLdN has extended into Lift-on/Lift-off container shipping between Rotterdam and UK/Irish ports, adding more than 1,000 annual port calls and over 5,000 leased multimodal cargo units to its owned network of approximately 9,000 trailers and containers.

CLdN's core technology is an integrated quay-to-quay and door-to-door logistics platform that combines RoRo shipping with terminal handling and multimodal last-mile transport (road, rail, barge). The company positions itself as having the lowest CO2 footprint among Western European RoRo operators, supported by investments such as rotor sail installations on vessels like the MV Delphine and proactive EU ETS/UK ETS compliance with biofuel-based discounts. Product lines span Short Sea Shipping, Multimodal Transport, Automotive Logistics (RoRo, stevedoring, terminal handling and storage of new vehicles), Terminal Services, Project Cargo, Container Shipping (LoLo, via Samskip), and Carbon Services for fuel EU maritime compliance.

The business model is asset-heavy and transaction-fee-based: revenue is generated through freight charges per lane metre/unit on quay-to-quay shipping, multimodal door-to-door forwarding, terminal handling tariffs, and published monthly energy surcharges covering ship fuel, CO2, road fuel, and rail energy. Customer segments include automotive manufacturers, freight forwarders, blue-chip consumer goods manufacturers, and project cargo operators. CLdN's go-to-market is sales-led, direct enterprise selling via commercial teams and a quote-based pricing model, supported by a network of owned terminals and partner capacity in road, rail, and barge. The company employs 3,000+ people across ships, terminals, and corporate functions.

Name

CLdN

Legal name

CLdN

Website

https://cldn.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1929

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

CLdN is a privately held European short-sea logistics operator providing RoRo and LoLo shipping, terminal handling, and multimodal door-to-door transport between the European continent, the UK, Ireland, Iberia, and Scandinavia for automotive manufacturers, freight forwarders, and consumer-goods shippers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Short Sea Shipping & Logistics

NAICS

Coastal and Great Lakes Freight Transportation (483113), Marine Cargo Handling (488320), Support Activities for Water Transportation (4883)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400), Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731)

akta.pro primary industry

Finished Vehicle Inland Waterway/Short-Sea RoRo Transport (TLADAJAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Finished Vehicle Ocean RoRo & Deep-Sea Vehicle Carriers (TLADAJAC), Project & OOG/Breakbulk Ocean Forwarding (Out-of-Gauge, RoRo) (TLACABAH), High & Heavy / Project Ro-Ro Handling (Construction, Mining & Oversize Equipment) (TLAHACAI)

Keywords

• Short sea shipping
• RoRo transport
• Multimodal logistics
• Automotive logistics
• Terminal operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Luxembourg

HQ country

Luxembourg

HQ region

Europe

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Short Sea RoRo Shipping: Roll-on/roll-off cargo shipping services between European continent, UK, Ireland, Iberia and Scandinavia with 30+ ships and 200+ weekly sailings. Revenue generated through freight charges per lane metre or unit.
2. Terminal Services: Port terminal handling services at 15 ports in Belgium, Netherlands, Sweden, Ireland, Spain, Portugal and UK for RoRo, containers, and automotive cargo.
3. Multimodal Door-to-Door Transport: Integrated cargo transport combining shipping with road, rail and barge connections throughout Europe. Revenue from freight forwarding and transport services.
4. Automotive Logistics: RoRo shipping, vessel stevedoring, terminal handling and storage of cars, commercial vehicles, trucks and buses.
5. Project Cargo: Coordination of shipment of oversized or complex goods using network of partners.
6. Energy Surcharges: Monthly variable surcharges for ship fuel (BAF), CO2 emissions, road fuel, and rail energy to compensate for fuel price fluctuations and regulatory costs like EU ETS and UK ETS.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CLdN operates short sea roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) shipping and multimodal logistics services across Western Europe, connecting Belgium, the Netherlands, the UK, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, and Sweden with a fleet of 30+ vessels operating 200+ weekly sailings. The company serves automotive manufacturers, freight forwarders, and project cargo owners with integrated sea and inland transport, supported by its own terminal facilities and ISO 9001-certified quality systems.

Product overview

CLdN is a logistics company offering integrated maritime transport services with two main service categories: quay-to-quay (port-to-port) shipping services and door-to-door multimodal transport solutions. The core offerings include Short Sea Shipping (RoRo), Multimodal Transport, Automotive Logistics, Terminal Services, and Project Cargo. Following the acquisition of Samskip's UK & Ireland business in June 2026, CLdN has expanded to offer Lift-on/Lift-off (LoLo) container shipping alongside its RoRo services, providing complementary shipping options. The company operates a fleet of 30+ purpose-built RoRo ships with 200+ weekly sailings, owns and manages terminals at 15 ports across 7 European countries, and maintains a fleet of over 9,000 multimodal transport units including trailers and containers. CLdN positions itself as having the lowest CO2 footprint among Western European RoRo operators.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Short Sea RoRo Shipping Scheduled roll-on/roll-off sea transport of unaccompanied trailers, containers, and rolling cargo across Western European short sea routes using a fleet of 30+ vessels operating 200+ weekly sailings between Belgium, Netherlands, UK, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, and Sweden. Targeted at shippers and freight forwarders needing regular, contracted short sea capacity.
• Multimodal Transport Integrated door-to-door logistics combining CLdN's RoRo sailings with inland road/rail transport across Belgium, Netherlands, UK, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, and Sweden, sold to shippers and freight forwarders as a single contracted service.
• Automotive Logistics RoRo-based transport of finished vehicles and automotive parts between Western European plants, ports, and distribution centers, targeted at automotive OEMs and tier-1 vehicle logistics buyers.
• Terminal Services Port and terminal operations at CLdN-owned facilities across Belgium, Netherlands, UK, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, and Sweden, providing berthing, RoRo loading/unloading, storage, and landside handling for shippers and feeder operators.
• Project Cargo Handling Movement of oversized, heavy-lift, and breakbulk project cargo using CLdN's RoRo vessels, terminals, and multimodal inland capability, targeted at EPC contractors, energy/infrastructure operators, and industrial OEMs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1.5 million cargo units transported annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• SamskipcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 February 2026CLdN acquired Samskip's quay-to-quay and door-to-door freight business between the Continent and UK & Ireland. The acquisition covers container shipping services between Rotterdam and UK ports (Belfast, Blyth, Grangemouth, Hull, Tilbury) and Irish ports (Cork, Dublin, Waterford) with over 1,000 port calls annually. Also includes transfer of lease agreements for 5,000+ multimodal cargo units and various supplier agreements for road haulage, rail and barge connections. Services transferred on 29 June 2026.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• DFDS: DFDS is one of Europe's largest short-sea RoRo and ferry operators with a comparable route network across the North Sea, Baltic and Channel. It directly competes with CLdN on UK-Continent and Ireland-Continent RoRo lanes and has a similar mix of ferry, logistics and terminal activities.
• Stena Line: Stena Line operates one of the world's largest short-sea RoRo/ferry networks focused on Northern Europe and the Irish Sea. It competes directly with CLdN on UK-Ireland and Continent-UK corridors and shares a similar integrated ship-plus-terminal business model.
• P&O Ferries: P&O Ferries operates freight and passenger RoRo services on UK-Continent and Irish Sea routes. It directly overlaps with CLdN on key North Sea freight corridors including Dover-Calais-style lanes and Hull-Rotterdam/Zeebrugge.
• Brittany Ferries: Brittany Ferries operates RoRo and passenger services on Western Channel and Bay of Biscay routes (UK-France, UK-Spain). It is comparable to CLdN on UK-Iberia freight lanes that CLdN serves via Santander.
• Grimaldi Group: Grimaldi Lines is one of Europe's largest RoRo operators offering deep-sea and short-sea vehicle and container transport. It directly competes with CLdN in automotive RoRo logistics and increasingly in short-sea container services across the Mediterranean and Atlantic.
• Irish Ferries: Irish Ferries operates RoRo passenger and freight services on Ireland-UK and Ireland-France routes. It competes with CLdN's Dublin and Cork-based services connecting Ireland to the UK and Continent.
• UECC (United European Car Carriers): UECC is a European short-sea RoRo operator specializing in finished vehicle transport. It is highly comparable to CLdN's automotive logistics business line, serving OEMs with vehicle shipping across European short-sea routes.

Broad incumbents

• Wallenius Wilhelmsen: Wallenius Wilhelmsen is a global finished vehicle and RoRo logistics major. It overlaps with CLdN's automotive logistics offering but operates at much broader global scale, including deep-sea vehicle carrier services.
• Hapag-Lloyd: Hapag-Lloyd is one of the world's largest container shipping lines and is relevant to CLdN as the company expands into short-sea container shipping post-Samskip. Hapag-Lloyd's deep-sea container network connects to and competes with short-sea feeders like CLdN.

Regional players

• Samskip: Samskip is a European multimodal logistics provider of short-sea container, rail and road services. CLdN recently acquired Samskip's UK & Ireland freight business, making Samskip a former direct competitor now partially embedded in CLdN's operations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance9 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CLdN