Containerships ties up more at Teesport, making it north Euro Hub

CONTAINERSHIPS, a leading shortsea carrier, has chosen north east England's Teesport, owned by PD Ports, as its northern European hub, it has been announced in a joint press statement.

The shipping line, which acquired Mediterranean short-sea specialist Contaz in March, has chosen to use Teesport, the UK 's third largest port by volume, to link its new Mediterranean services with its traditional Baltic routes.

Containerships, a long-term customer of PD Ports, has chosen for the first time to direct the Contaz traffic through Teesport. Initially there will be two ships on this route, operating a 12-13 day frequency, meaning that Containerships will be making five calls a week at Teesport.

Teesport and Containerships plan to increase the frequency along the new route to reach a targeted increase of 20,000 TEU. This will bring the total volume fed by Containerships through Teesport to almost 80,000 TEU a year.

Said PD Ports CEO David Robinson: "We will offer unique shortsea door-to-door connections between Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Libya, Turkey, and Tunisia in the south linking via the UK, with the Baltic states, Finland, Poland, Russia and Scandinavia in the north. The two services also offer possibilities for transport to and from Belarus , Ukraine and Central Asia ."

Said Containerships managing director Charles Patton: "The port is the best placed location, has the capacity to handle the volume swiftly, is cost-effective and fits seamlessly into our planned routes and schedules. Its people have the right attitude to help us develop our business efficiently and build an extensive network of services in northern Europe ."

- Extracted from Asian Shipper News