Port accessProminent speakers from the Short Sea Shipping sector will take part in the event
On 11 November, the port of Bilbao will be the venue for a new edition of the Annual Conference of the Spanish Association for the Promotion of Short Sea Shipping, organised by the Shortsea Promotion Center (SPC-Spain) itself and the Port Authority of Bilbao and sponsored by Finnlines, Bureau Veritas and Ewals Cargo Care.
In a year marked by the entry into force of Brexit, the blockage of the Suez Canal and the problems that have arisen in the field of logistics, the event, which will be held in the Conference Room of the Bilbao Port Authority Offices in Santurtzi, will discuss the future of Short Sea Shipping against a backdrop of commitment to the sustainable and efficient mobility of goods. The programme will address the role of SSS as a basic element that ensures fast, efficient, innovative, sustainable and environmentally and socially responsible transport.
The ShortSea / Bilbao programme will begin with an inaugural session featuring the President of SPC-Spain, Elena Seco; the President of the Port Authority of Bilbao, Ricardo Barkala; the President of Puertos del Estado / the State Ports Authority, Francisco Toledo; the Secretary General for Transport of the Spanish Government Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda, Mª José Rallo; and the Basque Government Vice-Minister of Industry, Mikel Amundarain.
Four round tables will then be held, with the participation of representatives of the different stakeholders involved in the maritime intermodal chain: the shipping companies that provide maritime services, the ports as an essential link in the transport chain, road transport operators, shippers and government administration. The topics to be discussed in the round tables will be: “Towards a more sustainable intermodal chain”; “Funding projects for smart and sustainable transport”; “Digitalisation and automation for greater efficiency and sustainability in the transport chain”; and “Lessons learned from Brexit. The efficiency of border controls to drive SSS”.
The event will conclude with the designation of Manuel Carlier as an Honorary Member, in recognition of his career as President of SPC-Spain for almost 20 years, a tour around the port of Bilbao facilities and the closing ceremony, presided over by the General Director of the Merchant Marine, Benito Núñez Quintanilla.
The event will be held face-to-face and seating will be limited. Click here to register for the seminar.
Further information on the programme is available here
Leader in SSS
The port of Bilbao is a leader in Short Sea Shipping, the main Spanish port on the Atlantic coast and the first in traffic with Northern Europe and the United Kingdom. It handles 19% of national traffic with Atlantic Europe and 24% of traffic with the United Kingdom, as well as 23% of container traffic by rail.
Bilbao is connected to 207 ports in continental Europe and 66 ports in the United Kingdom and Ireland, thanks to the 33 weekly scheduled services and the container, conventional, ro-ro and solid services offered by companies – some of them with over 100 years of experience – specialised in SSS of all types of traffic and containers.
The port facilities include container, breakbulk and ro-ro terminals, and a Border Control Post for countries that are not part of the European Union, such as the United Kingdom. In this regard, the port of Bilbao has prepared for the requirements triggered by the entry into force of Brexit and has set up a Brexit section on its e-puertobilbao telematic platform, a tool at the service of its customers to streamline processes and operations. This is designed to make operations with the UK as efficient and fast as possible, contributing to the competitiveness of the port’s shipping companies and customers.
