Maritime Transport is a long-established UK-based container transport company, with its origins dating back to 1974. In 1990, the Company was sold to Maritime Transport Services Ltd., the then owners of Thamesport, to help them to attract shipping lines to the newly-built container port in Kent. Over the next 8 years Thamesport was successful in attracting substantial volumes and Maritime Haulage developed its business on the back of this growth.
In 1998, Hutchison Ports (UK) purchased Thamesport and as part of the deal they also acquired Maritime Haulage. After a number of years of ownership, Hutchison Ports (UK) carried out a business review at the beginning of 2001 and decided to sell Maritime Haulage. John Williams, who was working for Hutchison Ports (UK) at the time, made a successful bid for the Company. The acquisition was completed on 4th. September 2001 and Maritime Haulage was immediately rebranded Maritime Transport. At the time of the purchase, Maritime Transport had a network of five depot locations and operated 136 trucks with 190 staff.
The Company has grown almost threefold and is now represented at all of the major deepsea container ports in the UK, as well as inland centres at Hams Hall, Leeds and Trafford Park in Manchester. The Head Office is based in Felixstowe. Today Maritime Transport employs 650 staff and drivers, operates over 700 vehicles and handles more than 1,200 container moves a day.
In 2005, Maritime launched a used vehicle arm to sell tractor units coming off fleet. The business is known as secondhandtrucks.co.uk and is responsible for selling 150+ vehicles a year, both in the UK and overseas.
Maritime Transport has a large portfolio of blue-chip container shipping lines, freight forwarders and logistics companies and has developed a reputation for delivering flexible, cost-effective solutions in a rapidly changing transport landscape.
