Author: Willex

Right now there is a lot of disturbance in and around the Red Sea. And let the Red Sea precisely be a popular sea route for container ships coming to Europe from Asia. But most shipping companies do avoid this route at the moment. This forces them to sail further and longer and that’s resulting in higher costs and delayed deliveries. Even though DL has also been affected, we are doing all we can to find dignified solutions for our customers.

The numbers do not lie. The amount of cargo transported across the Red Sea is almost 70 percent lower than it normally is around this time. This is according to recent figures from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy. To put this into perspective, more than 12 percent of world trade typically goes through the Red Sea.

Container prices have tripled

Because of the fact that shipping companies are currently opting for security and safety are they going for an alternative route that is sailing past South Africa. This alternative route is 10 days longer than the Red Sea route with the effect that it is creating delays and causing container costs to skyrocket. The container prices has more than tripled since the security problems that arose in early December. Whereas at the beginning of December the price was about $850 per container is it now running at nearly $2,700 (source: Drewry World Container Index (DWCI)).

If you have specific questions or if you want to know what effect it will have on you as a customer, please get in touch contact us at contact@dl.nl.

For years we as DL have been picking up containers at the Port of Rotterdam. The demand for this increased from our customers, which is why we currently (and on an almost daily basis) drive with 12 trucks.

On December 1st 2023 the German government will increase the truck toll by 70-80%. All our trucks are equipped with EURO 6 engines which is the most economical category for diesel trucks. Nevertheless the increase will have consequences for the cost paid by our customers.

As an alternative we offer shipment per barge. Specifically destinations such as Mannheim, Stuttgart, Strasbourg and Basel are popular. In many cases the barge is a good alternative for transport via the road whereby both cost savings are made and the environment is saved.

For more information please contact by mail rob.olbertz@dl.nl.

According to research by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Dutch companies exported more goods in recent months than in the same year before. This is an increase of 0.6% which is good news. Especially the export of devices and transport equipment increased. However, fewer food products were exported than a year earlier.

Rob Olbertz, operational director within DL, also sees this as a good first signal: “A well-known Dutch saying is ‘one swallow does not make a summer’. Although 0.6% growth is promising it is also a break in the trend after months of decline.”

However, the total imports of goods did fall 6.2% year-on-year in August, following a 2.2% increase in July. Furthermore, CBS notes that the conditions for exports in October were slightly less unfavorable than in August. This is mainly because the development of real exchange rates, or currency rates adjusted for the increase in the price level of export goods, was less unfavorable.

Curious about what DL can do for you? Get in touch with us today.

From the old days: Jan Dammes and Pieter Laban posing in front of DL Warehousing


We are very proud to announce that we are celebrating our 25 year anniversary this month! 
We have already celebrated this event with our employees during our corporate event in Blijdorp but we also want to share a little piece of history of DL Logistics Group with you.

On October 4^th, 1998, Jan Dammes and Pieter Laban founded DL. It was then called Dammes Laban Logistics. The company consisted of a warehouse and a small office and was located on the Griekenlandweg in Bodegraven. There were approximately 10 employees.

You may know this warehouse now as DL Warehousing. Indeed, the current DL Warehousing is the first DL branch!

In 2005 the following branch was added: Dammes Laban Fruit Logistics. This branch is located in Bleiswijk. We now know this branch as DL Fresh Logistics. As the name suggests we are specialized in the storage and handling of fresh products here.

As Dammes Laban Logistics employed more and more employees and because more and more branches were added it was decided in 2008 to let the head office (Dammes Laban Group) support all the branches. Previously everything was arranged per location (invoicing, HR, etc.), but it worked more efficiently to consolidate those tasks.

In the same year we opened another branch: DL Freight Management Rotterdam BV located in Vlaardingen. This branch focused on the handling of sea freight and the storage of bulk goods.

In the first 10 years the Dammes Laban Group had already grown into a logistics company that could support customers in most logistics areas. An important logistics service in which we were not yet represented was customs services and air freight handling. That is why we opened a new branch located in Schiphol in 2010: DL Freight Management Amsterdam.

This was also the time to rethink our strategy. What started as a company with one warehouse and a small office was now a company with multiple branches and specialized in multiple areas. We decided to present ourselves as DL Logistics Group BV. Our logo was adjusted (to the logo we still use today) and a number of branches were given a new name that fit better into the whole. In addition the branches started to collaborate more with each other.

We now had representation represented in almost all logistical fields. The company grew and became more and more known. After a few years the longing for developing new services started again. What kind of service could we offer to expand our portfolio? In 2017 we have made up our mind: DL Transport was born. Where we previously arranged the transportation of sea freight containers via partners we could now also bring and collect these containers to the port ourselves.

Container liner shipping rates have been falling since the end of the corona pandemic, according to the World Container Index (research firm Drewry). For example, the average price in June (2023) came in at $136. That is almost 80% less than a year ago.

This can be explained in part by the fact that transport demand decreased significantly after the corona pandemic. This is not surprising when you consider that turnover within the logistics sector in 2021 was on average 20% higher than in the same period in 2019. On top of that, supply chain disruptions have been reduced, normalizing container shipping and reducing delays.

For you as a customer is this good news

DL has a global network that allows transportation to almost anywhere in the world. On land, by sea or by air. Because container prices have dropped dramatically in recent months, we can facilitate your (container) transport even more competitively.

Rob Olbertz, Operational Director of DL Logistics Group, stated that “Fortunately, rates in containerized liner shipping have returned to reasonable normal levels and the craziness is over. We expect volatility to remain within reasonable margins in the coming period although it remains dependent on geopolitical influences and global economic developments. DL is keeping a close eye on spot rates so that we get the best deals for our customers.”

Curious about the possibilities?

Contact us today or fill out the no-obligation quote form.

DL has high demands on the quality and safety standards of the goods stored that are stored in our warehouses. In all operations involving your goods, we are keen to meet the strictest requirements. In order for our services to remain meeting the strictest standards, for example, consider storing fruits and vegetables or transporting high value goods. In order for our services to remain compliant with these standards, various (independent) inspections take place every year. As a result, we have been proudly IFS, BRC, SKAL and Chain of Custody certified for many years. In addition on that, all our warehouses are bonded warehouses (IATA). This allows goods to be stored, handled or processed without having to pay import duties (again).

These certifications allow us to help you store goods as well as transport them. For example, we have more than 12,000m3 of cold storage! There is one thing very important for us: monitoring the quality of your goods.

Good to know: the temperature of the cold rooms will be monitored 24 hours a day. Should the temperature deviate once, effective measures are taken immediately.

Would you like to know more about our certifications? Then take a look at the information on this page or contact us.