Effective Ways of Shipping Pallets to Lithuania
Many UK firms enjoy good trading relationships with companies that are either based in Lithuania or have their regional headquarters there. As such, shipping
pallets to Lithuania is not that uncommon for British exporters. However, it isn’t as easily accessed as other countries in the EU given that it has the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad to its west and Belarus to its southeast. What should British businesses do when they receive orders that need to be fulfilled in the country so that their goods arrive in a timely manner without damage?
Send Pallets to Lithuania Via the E67
One of the simplest ways to proceed with a pallet shipment to places like Kaunus; Alytus and the capital city of Vilnius is to send them by road from western Europe. Drivers will typically pick up the E67 trunk road somewhere in central Poland depending on the exact destination. Ports in France, the Netherlands and Belgium can all serve as points of entry into the EU from the UK whether they accessed from the Humber Estuary, Newcastle or the South Coast. From a port like Dunkirk, for example, lorries laden with multiple pallets could theoretically arrive at the Lithuanian border with Poland within 20 hours of being cleared by customs officials. Of course, it will take longer than this in reality once you factor in driver breaks; and the time it takes to travel within the UK, as well.
Ship Pallets Via Karlshamn, Trelleborg or Kiel
Another option is to access roll-on/roll-off ferry services to Klaipeda, Lithuania’s main port. These depart regularly from Trelleborg and Karlshamm, both in southern Sweden, as well as Kiel in Germany. Such ports can accessed from northern France with a straightforward cross-channel sailing. In the past, drivers could have been sent to Esbjerg in
Denmark from Harwich, too. However, the only viable way to get there today is via Immingham. This port offers between five and seven sailings per week. From Esbjerg, it takes two-and-a-half hours to get to Kiel; about five hours to reach Karlshamm and approximately four to get to Trelleborg.
Consider Two-Driver Express Courier Services
For larger consignments of pallets, especially those with industrial goods that are likely to be heavy; the costs involved with sending goods by road to Lithuania can soon mount. Heavier loads have a greater cost in terms of fuel consumption, of course. That’s why allowing a ferry service to take some of the strain can often be more cost-effective while allowing the driver some much-needed downtime. That said, according to
Barrington Freight, there is a quicker alternative that’s often used for urgent orders. The Essex-based international freight forwarding firm says it frequently organises two drivers for smaller consignments of just one or two pallets. These can make landfall on the continent in vans and be driven directly to locations all over Lithuania without stopping. By monitoring the road network, potential hold ups can be avoided; such as routing the consignment further south in Poland to arrive in Lithuania via Lazdijai.