MSC introduces a new direct connection from the Port of Bilbao to Canada

The shipping company MSC is set to expand its transatlantic services from 22 December with the addition of a direct connection linking Bilbao with Canada, thereby improving coverage for exporters in northern Spain.

This direct container export route, called Canada Express Service, connects to the port of Halifax, Canada, with a transit time of approximately two weeks. The company, which anticipates further significant developments in the near future, is looking to gain space for direct transport, avoiding congestion and transhipments. Specifically, the first vessel to make the complete port rotation will be the MSC Yang R, with a capacity of 3,800 TEUs, 257 metres long and 32 metres wide.

Key advantages of the new service highlighted by the company include competitive transit times, guaranteed space and capacity on all sailings and enhanced connectivity with major North Atlantic ports. The service will operate with the following sequence of port calls: Malaga, Sines, Vigo, Gijón, Bilbao, Felixstowe, Antwerp, Le Havre, Montreal, Halifax and back to the Iberian Peninsula.

With this new service, MSC Spain increases its capacity to offer customised reefer solutions, flexible routes and direct access to the main Canadian distribution hubs. For the Bilbao Port Authority, “this new connection further consolidates the role of the Port of Bilbao as a key logistics hub in northern Spain. We are delighted to be working with MSC to enable direct access to North American markets, contributing to economic growth and the development of new business opportunities for companies in our area of influence”.