Toyota charters vessel to store unsold cars
Justin Stares, Brussels - Wednesday 25 February 2009
Toyota said today it had chartered a 2,500-capacity vessel which will simply stand idle in port in Malmo, Sweden.
The vessel, belonging to car-carrier specialist Wallenius Wilhelmsen, is necessary because there is simply no more room to store cars at the Toyota import site in Malmo, the company said.
“We have space for 12,500 cars in Malmo, which acts as a distribution centre for all the Nordic countries,” said Toyota spokesman Etienne Plas. “But we have run out of space. We need the ship to store cars while they are waiting to be delivered. Hopefully we won’t need it for that long.”
The Japanese giant, which is expected to report its first ever loss this year, saw exports drop almost 60% in January. All manufacturers have seen a similar slump in demand since the credit crunch hit.
Wallenius Wilhelmsen operates a fleet of 166 vessels shipping cars around the world. The company warned last month that it would be forced to scrap dozens of vessels. The sales slump would have a “strong negative impact” on profits this year, the company said.
Belgium’s Zeebrugge port, Europe’s main distribution hub and one of the largest car terminals in the world, saw volumes fall for the first time in a decade last year.
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