SHIPPING line Containerships has chosen Teesport as its strategic freight hub for Northern Europe.

The short sea carrier, which acquired Mediterranean short-sea specialist Contaz in March, has chosen to use the UK’s third largest port, by volume, to link its new Mediterranean services with its traditional Baltic routes.

Initially, there will be two ships on the route, with Containerships making five calls a week at Teesport, although that frequency is expected to rise with the firm targeting a rapid increase in freight.

Charles Patton, managing director of Containerships, which is already a long-term customer of PD Ports, said: “We are delighted to announce Teesport as our strategic freight hub for Northern Europe.

“The port is the best placed location, has the capacity to handle the volume swiftly, is cost-effective and fits seamlessly into our planned routes and schedules.”

David Robinson, chief executive officer of PD Ports, said: “We will offer unique short sea door-to-door connections between Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Libya, Turkey, and Tunisia in the south linking via the UK, with the Baltic States, Finland, Poland, Russia and Scandinavia in the north. The two services also offer possibilities for transport to and from Belarus, Ukraine and Central Asia.”

Mr Robinson said that despite difficult economic times, PD Ports expected to see further growth in container traffic this year.

Retailer Tesco is opening its new 1.2m sq ft warehouse within the port’s estate in August and Asda, which has had an import centre located at Teesport since 2006, is also predicting an increase in volumes.

Mr Robinson said: “We welcome all new traffic, especially in these difficult economic times.

“But we are not surprised to see this growth – we are confident that we have the location, the facilities and the skills which people want.

“This additional Containership service complements our strategic emphasis on developing a port centric logistics hub, as many companies are starting to recognise the benefits of using regional ports which are closer to the final destination of their products.”

Teesport handles 50 million tonnes of traffic a year and is the location of the planned Northern Gateway Container Terminal, a deep- sea container terminal being built on the south side of the Tees.

The £300m development is expected to create more than 5,500 jobs.