A vessel to carry freight between Poole and Bilbao, in northern Spain has been chartered by a French shipping company. A pure RoRo craft, Pelican has the capacity for around one hundred unaccompanied freight trailers and twelve drivers and will begin service in early February.
Pelican comes from shipping company Maritime Nantaise and will operate two round-trips per week.
“Freight activity to and from the United Kingdom is undergoing a period of strong growth, particularly the unaccompanied market,” said the operating company’s freight director. “We see this on a daily basis in the garages of our vessels, especially on those operating to and from Spain. Our charter of Pelican will help us meet growing demand from freight customers and free up more garage space on other ships.”
Last year the company reported a 20 per cent increase in freight traffic across all routes.