PD Ports welcomes new sustainable cargo route between Teesport and Bilbao

Teesport, owned and operated by PD Ports, is preparing to welcome a new container service as part of a weekly route from Bilbao, Spain.

Operated by specialist Iberian shortsea container line W.E.C Lines in conjunction with A2B and due to embark on its new route on  October 24, the twice-weekly arrival into Teesport will offer a more cost-effective and sustainable solution for customers wanting to move cargo in and around Spain.

The new route, which boasts competitive transit times between Teesport with the northern Spanish hub port of Bilbao, means that the Port will now handle over 25 vessel calls each week, reaffirming its position as the UK’s northern gateway for global shippers, servicing worldwide markets including Scandinavia, the Baltics, the Netherlands, Russia, Belgium, France and Poland.

Geoff Lippitt, PD Ports Group business development director, said: “We’re delighted that W.E.C Lines has chosen Teesport as a port of call on this new route to and from Bilbao.

“Our extensive road, rail and sea links at Teesport allow customers to move their cargo further and faster, via our fantastic onward connections to various major hub ports around Europe.

“We are proud that, even as we continue to navigate our way through the COVID-19 pandemic, we have successfully grown our global service offering and provided a platform for UK commerce to thrive.”

While W.E.C Lines UK was established in 2019, the company has a wealth of experience as shortsea carrier from and to the Iberian Peninsula. Roger Megann, managing director W.E.C Lines UK explained how the new service responds to growing demand for multimodal services to the UK.

“W.E.C Lines is responding to market demand to bring containers closer to the cargo owner’s door,” said Roger.

“By removing road miles, cargo owners will be able to benefit from reduced costs, less congestion, lower emissions and improved control over their stock.

“This service brings a new and reliable logistics solution to the market which will give a clear and advantageous choice for customers where options have previously been lacking.”

Continued investment in infrastructure has enabled Teesport to achieve a 10 per cent growth in year-on-year container volumes over the last seven years from 2012-2019.