To test the market, Rickmers-Linie has already made several calls recently, mostly on an inducement basis. Inbound cargoes have included steel plate from Asia and granite block from India, while export cargoes have largely been machinery and similar products.
The decision to regularize scheduled calls into Bilbao has been prompted by a major contract to ship high-speed trains built by Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) from Bilbao to Dammam in Saudi Arabia. The contract was signed with the global forwarder Geodis, which is responsible for the overall logistics management of this project.
The trains are being supplied to the Saudi Railways Organization and will be used by the Saudi Railway Company (SAR) on a new high-speed passenger service between Riyadh and Al-Haditha.
Rickmers-Linie said it anticipates the regular monthly calls in Bilbao will be provided via the line’s Europe/Middle East/India service, although Rickmers’ eastbound Round-the-World Pearl String service will continue to make calls on inducement. One vessel on the Pearl String, Rickmers Hamburg, called Bilbao in early October to lift a six-car high-speed train set.
“The Port of Bilbao is one of Spain’s most important ports for breakbulk and heavy lift cargo,” said Manuel Torres, line manager at E Erhardt y Cia, Rickmers-Linie’s agent in Spain. “There is a lot of traffic, both import and export, which we believe we can attract to the Rickmers-Linie service now that we have this regular call.”
Torres said Rickmers-Linie has the ability to make three calls a month in the Spanish port.
