New short-sea connections at Teesport to boost North East trade

PD Ports has announced the launch of new short-sea services from the continent via the North East and Scotland.

The group is positioning the new direct routes from Antwerp and Dunkerque, to be operated by transport firm Unifeeder, as an alternative to using increasingly congested European and UK hub ports.

The services will cover Teesport and Grangemouth in Scotland, opening up road cargo across Europe and potentially slashing times and distances in and out of the UK.

Unifeeder will operate the services from Wednesday (August 15) to complement its links between Rotterdam and the ports of Felixstowe, South Shields and Immingham.

According to Kim Catterick, PD Ports’ general manager key accounts and customer development, the short-sea launch represents a real boost for businesses in the North East.

Kim said: “Short-sea services are the lifeblood of our ports and this partnership with Unifeeder offers more routes in and out of Europe and into the UK.

“We have invested heavily into the region and more and more of our customers are searching for routes that offer direct access to their markets.”

She continued: “Using Teesport with its excellent road and rail connections and in particular its well established daily Scottish rail service, opens up the North of England and Scotland; providing cross-channel services linking the Netherlands, Belgium, France and into Germany using road transport.

“We understand that customers want direct access and guaranteed schedules. There has been an increasing demand to move away from the congestion at some of the major European and UK ports and using Teesport, along with our other locations means we can partner with companies offering solutions that work for both the UK and mainland European customers.”