PD Ports has welcomed the first vessel call into Teesport on a new, dedicated service from Spain and Portugal. 

The Kristin Schepers, a vessel capable of carrying 800 containers, arrived at Teesport on Tuesday after a four-day sailing from Aveiro in Portugal to discharge containerised cargo for onward distribution via PD Ports’ dedicated road haulage fleet.

The new route, which also includes port calls in Rotterdam, Cadiz, Setubal and Tilbury, is currently running fortnightly and will increase frequency to once a week in the new year, demonstrating the growing demand for global shippers to use Teesport as the gateway into the UK.

Geoff Lippitt, Chief Commercial Officer at PD Ports, said: “We’re delighted to be welcoming Ellerman City Liners to our roster at Teesport with this service; the only direct route between Iberia and Teesport.

“This unique service offers best in class transit times and, when running as planned in 2023, will further boost our weekly roster of vessel calls, reaffirming our position at Teesport as the Northern gateway for international trade.

“We’re thrilled to be supporting the team at Ellerman with this new service and look forward to working alongside them to further develop the route.”