The Port of Bilbao is one of the most important transportation centers of the European Atlantic with the surface of 400 hectares, which has been operating for more than 700 years. It is a direct communication gateway between Spain and Europe. There are plenty of advantages, which make it irreplaceable for the logistics purposes:
- comfortable location
- lots of maritime services offered
- docks with the draughts (which are up to 32 meters high)
- railway and land connections
- good investment capacity
- electronic commercial platform
- the installations for all types of cargoes.
Besides, the enlargement works are constantly carried out by the officials in order to widen the facilities of the port and the number of services.
Being flexible and dynamic, the port receives all kinds of vessels and cargoes. Currently, the Port of Bilbao offers lots of services, which include the transportation of:
- break-bulk
- solid bulk
- liquids
- containers, etc.
The additional advantages of the port are the parking area for the trucks, which allows widening the range of services available, and a bonded warehouse. As for the passengers, there is a ferry service to the UK.
The development of Bilbao port
Every year, the port shows the growth of facilities and increase in traffic. In 2013, the movement of goods totaled 1.2 million tonnes. The following year, the increase was by 4% with the movement of 30.8 million tonnes (exclusive of the local traffic and supplies). The positive tendency touched all the variations of packaging. According to the data from the port’s authorities, the greatest growth was demonstrated in the container traffic. The number of the latest rose by 4% and reached almost 631,000 TEUs. As a result, the merchandise entering or leaving a container appeared to be 6.6 million tonnes. The reefer container traffic and railway traffic also demonstrated the growth by 6.5% and 18% respectively.
The general growth of the bulk traffic still continues, which indicates the development of the transportation facilities.