Port accessRepresentatives of the Port Authority of Bilbao and a delegation from the ports of the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway (USA) have signed a Memorandum of Collaboration (MoC) to improve and increase mutual cooperation, explore the development of trade relations between the two regions and pool knowledge and know-how, particularly in areas such as sustainability, connectivity and innovation.
The signatories to the agreement were Andima Ormaetxe, Operations, Commercial, Logistics and Strategy Director of the Port Authority of Bilbao, and Adam Tindall-Schlicht, Administrator of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, on behalf of the American delegation.
Other representatives at the signing ceremony from the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation were Rebecca Yackley, Director of the Office of Trade & Economic Development; Danielle Pierson, International Trade Specialist; and Peter Hirthe, regional representative of the Great Lakes. Also present at the event were Maria Cartier, Market Development Manager of the Port of Milwaukee, and Samuel Hankinson, Port Development Coordinator of the Port of Monroe.
In the course of the meeting, the representatives of the port community of Bilbao learnt about the characteristics and potential of the Great Lakes and its ports for international trade, especially with the central and east coast of the United States. For its part, UniportBilbao, the Cluster for the promotion and competitive improvement of the port, presented to the American delegation what the Port of Bilbao has to offer in terms of multimodal services, and the capacity of the port community to
handle the transport and logistics of any type of traffic. Afterwards, the American representatives enjoyed a guided tour of the Port of Bilbao and its facilities.
Trade relations with Bilbao
The Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Seaway is a waterway that stretches 3,700 km between the United States and Canada, from the Atlantic Ocean to the headwaters of the Great Lakes. It is one of the continent’s main trade routes, transporting over 200 million tonnes of goods annually, including iron ore, coal, limestone, grain, general cargo, steel products, heavy machinery, cement, salt and stone aggregates.
The Port of Bilbao trades with the Great Lakes region, with close to 90,000 tonnes of goods in 2023. In this respect, stand-out traffic includes iron and steel products, machinery and spare parts, chemical products, wine, spirits and alcohol, other minerals, construction materials and foodstuffs, amongst others.
