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The Port of Castellon has welcomed the Shipper at its quays to start up a new scheduled line with Libya operated by shipping agent Medkon Lines. The vessel is owned by Clapotis Carriers Ltd.
Rubén Ibáñez, Chairman of the Port Authority of Castellon, and Manuel José García, its Director, presented the captain with a commemorative plaque to mark the vessel’s first call at the port. “This is a first new line in the Port Authority’s strategy to generate new markets and will connect us even more strongly to Libya as well as to other European countries as it runs via Italy and Portugal,” said Rubén Ibáñez. “It brings us opportunities to enter new markets and enables businesses to engage much more in transit throughput with the Port of Castellon for imports and exports.”
The Finnish-flagged vessel measures 122 metres in length and has berthed at the Centenary Quay carrying Ro-ro cargo bound for the Port of Misurata in Libya. It is the first ship of the new scheduled Mediterranean-Black Sea Ro-Ro Service line which will have two vessels, the Aya M and the Shipper, and connect Castellon with the ports of Misurata, Leghorn, Marseilles and Genoa. This new line comes in addition to Akkon Lines, Arcoship Lines and Ignazio Messina & Co., the other three already operating between the Port of Castellon and Libya.
Libya accounted for 4% of total import/export tonnage at the Port of Castellon in 2023. The breakdown of the goods handled was 92% liquid bulk, largely crude oil, 1% solid bulk and 7% general cargo, mainly tiles and frits. A total of 5,900 TEUs were shipped in 2023 which represents 8% of the overall number of TEUs handled by the port. Compared to 2022, the volume of traffic with Libya fell by 25% in 2023.
ASCER, the Spanish Ceramic Tile Manufacturers’ Association, says in its statistical report for October 2023 that tile exports to Libya were down by 39% compared to the same period in the previous year, continuing the 36% drop recorded in 2022.