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Jim McGhee, MD of Roadferry, says he is delighted that the company is now back in the hands of a transport firm following its acquisition by DSV from parent company Peel Ports. The 200-truck firm was bought late last Friday (29 Feb) for an undisclosed fee and McGhee says that while he couldn't fault the previous owner, DSV will be more aware of specific transport issues.

He adds: "There are certain skills we can bring that will benefit DSV - we are one of the major players on the Irish  Sea - and DSV brings expertise that can only help Roadferry." For its part DSV - formed by the 2006 merger between DFDS and Frans Maas - says that Roadferry was an ideal infill acquisition to boost its UK and Irish operations.

Rene Falch Olesen, UK MD of DSV Road, says that Roadferry's substantial shareholding in Palletline was another selling point. Its membership of the network offers DSV a solution for its palletised freight consignments. Equally, it offers Palletline a ready-made European platform. Integration of the two firms will not begin until April, although Olesen says that it "has to be right for the customers".

Eventually the Roadferry name will disappear and two of its depots - Glasgow and potentially Newport - will be closed and drivers absorbed into nearby DSV sites. Some office staff may also go, however, he rules out widespread lay-offs: "The business case [for the acquisition] was not based on redundancies."

The combined business will have a turnover  in the UK of around £200m and will run 400 vehicles. DSV has reported a turn-over of DKK34.9bn (£3.4bn) in its 2007 accounts. Pre-tax profit was at DKK1.5bn (£150m), a 5.5% increase on the year before.