Bilbao, a port that is committed to stability, intermodality and sustainable growth
The stowage agreement is the pillar that was missing from this port that It has modern infrastructures for all types of trafficWith drafts for large ships (up to 30 meters), it is well connected by road and rail to facilitate intermodal transport and is a specialist in short distance traffic. 64% of containerized traffic originates or ends in Europe, 21% in America and 9% in Asia.
A DAILY SHIP WITH UNITED KINGDOM AND IRELAND Europe is its main market, an area where the United Kingdom stands out in particular. The 3.9 million tons that in 2021 used the port facilities with origin/destination in that country, are equivalent to 20% of Spanish foreign trade and 25% if it is trade by sea.
The multimodal offer via Bilbao allows customers (exporters/importers, traders, road transporters and logistics operators) to opt for door-to-door maritime services as a solution for your logistics needs, whether in container, conventional, bulk or roll-on cargo.
To the importance of contributing trade relations, especially those close to 20 weekly maritime services with the United Kingdom and Ireland that companies offer. As a result, shippers are provided with one daily departure from the port of Bilbao, at least to the British Isles.
For all these reasons, in November the port community of Bilbao presented in Liverpool and London the multimodal services of the Port of Bilbao and the logistics solutions it offers to British importers and exporters.
GROWTH IN ROAD TRAFFIC WITH MORE EFFICIENT VESSELS Road traffic has grown by 15% up to November in a year in which the vessels that handle this traffic have more capacity and are more ecological.
on the one hand, Brittany Ferries has improved the service it offers in capacity, comfort and efficiency with the English port of Portsmouth and the line with the Irish port of Rosslare, by incorporating the salamanca ferrya. The Salamanca is considered a cruise-ferry for all the comforts it offers, it has a capacity for 1050 passengers and it is the first of the shipping company that works with natural gas.
For his part, Finnish linesof the Grimaldi Group, has added to its service with the Baltic and the North Seas three of the most efficient ships in the world, which allow trucks and semi-trailers, cars, containers, all types of static merchandise, steel products and project cargo (parts) to be shipped. of the railway and wind industry), among others. This ro-ro vessel has a capacity equivalent to 400 trucks, which represents 38% more load than the current one without, therefore, increasing its emissions.
From the Bilbao Port Authority point out that “the commitment made this year by Brittany Ferries and Finnlines/Grimaldo consolidated us as a specialist in the Short Sea and allows us to attract more traffic to northern Europe and the United Kingdom/Ireland, with ships where technology goes hand in hand, innovation and sustainability, which is in line with our commitment to being a greener port”.
DEVELOPMENT OF RAILPORT TRAFFIC AND THE PAPER-FREE PORT
The Port of Bilbao is third in the State in railway operations. All maritime terminals are connected to the rail network. In 2021, 4,358 trains circulated through the Port of Bilbao+15% compared to the previous year, and rail-port traffic grew by 21%.
The Bilbao Port Authority owns two railway terminals: Arasur and Pancorbo. In addition, it participates in another five interior terminals: Júndiz, Villafría, Zaragoza Plaza, Puerto Seco Madrid (Coslada) and Puerto Seco Azuqueca. Likewise, during 2022 it has continued to implement agile and paperless processes and services, through telematic applications to facilitate, know the traceability of the merchandise and guarantee security in the accesses to the premises itself.
Support for reference wind and environmental energy
The Port has two companies dedicated exclusively to these types of traffic: Haizea Wind and Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy Wind.
In the Basque Country there is a strong industrial fabric focused on the development of all types of wind componentss, with a marked export character, and the port of Bilbao has land for facilities of this type (manufacturing or assembly/storage), a port community with extensive experience in transport, loading/unloading, lashing and advice, and maritime services connecting you to 800 ports around the world.
now The Port facilities have two companies dedicated exclusively to this traffic: Haizea Wind, manufacturer of wind components, and Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy Eólica, which has its export hub in Bilbao.
Both are located in the expansion area of the Port. In addition, Navacel It has facilities in the Ría de Bilbao that also allow it to manufacture these components and their subsequent export, and NORDEX ACTIONA uses this enclave for storage and important export and import operations
At the same time, it has other operators, such as stevedoring companies, which dedicate certain spaces to this type of traffic. For all these reasons, in April of this year the Bilbao Port Authority operated the “Manifesto for the development of offshore winda”, sponsored by the Wind Energy Business Association (AEE). The purpose of this Manifesto is to promote the development of offshore wind power in Spain and convey the need to speed up the development of the regulatory framework to maintain the world leadership position in floating offshore wind power.
SUSTAINABLE PROJECTS
“Social, economic and environmental sustainability are three fundamental pillars for the future of companies. They are key elements for its responsible growth and, in turn, a niche of opportunities. For this reason, we want to contribute, as far as possible, to this sustainable development”. This is how he expresses it President of the Bilbao Port Authority, Ricardo Barkala, and that is why in the Port of Bilbao, as the driving force behind the economy within, it carries out specific actions in the field of sustainability. On the one hand, in November the Bilbao Port Authority organized the International Sustainable Port Congress booklet, in collaboration with the Bilbao Chamber of Commerce. It had the participation of about 30 local, national and international experts, from the port and logistics field, from institutions and from the academic environment. On the other hand, among the latest actions of the Port Authority, BilbOPS stands out, the project to supply electricity to ships when they are attracted, avoiding the emission of greenhouse gases and vibrations and noise, which will be operational in 2025
In fact, the Bilbao Port Authority and the European Commission signed the subsidy contract for this project in October, within the aid program CEF Transport 2021-2027. This initiative requires an investment of 51.8 million euros, of which 30%, that is, 14.2 million, will be subsidized. It also has a grant of 4.3 million for the new A5 pier through the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism.
In order for the electricity to come from zero emissions, the project contemplates actions for the generation of renewable energies, such as the installation of photovoltaic panels on the counterdocks and canopies in parking areas and the placement in the port facilities of more wind turbines that provide wind energy. This project joins others that the private initiative is also promoting. Among them is the new Petronor/Repsol plant for the production of synthetic fuels from green hydrogen, generated with renewable energy. At the same time, boats that are more respectful with the environment (gas or hybrids) already dock at its docks.
New surfaces for new strategic investments
Parallel to its sustainable projects, The Port Authority makes significant investments to expand the area given the demand for land for the installation of strategic projects within the port itself. One of the latest investments has been the urbanization of 203,000 square meters of the first phase of the Central Breakwater. This pier, which will be developed in stages according to needs, has a total of 1,120 meters of berthing line and 362,000 square meters of surface area, and the investment made reaches 112 million euros. The European Comission will finance, within the call “Connecting Europe Facility” of 2014, this project will contribute 20.9 million euros, which represents 20% of the eligible expenses.
It is also expanding the AZ1 pier, which will contribute 50,000 square meters and will have a dock line of 251 additional linear meters. The investment amounted to 27.4 million and the works will end at the beginning of 2023.