MacAndrews has introduced the largest ship that it has ever operated in over 250 years of providing shipping services to businesses involved in trade between the UK and Spain.
Having entered service in Bilbao, Velazquez now operates MacAndrews’ weekly service between Bilbao (Friday); Dublin (Monday) and Liverpool (Tuesday) replacing Doerte which switches to MacAndrews’ weekly service between Liverpool (Thursday), Greenock (Friday) and Bilbao (Monday).
The introduction of Velazquez, which has a nominal capacity of 822 teu represents a significant investment by MacAndrews in its weekly container shipping services between Spain, the United Kingdom and Ireland.
With 150 reefer plugs, Velazquez will also play a significant role in MacAndrews’ increasing commitment to carrying fresh produce between Iberia and the UK/Ireland.
Furthermore, with a speed of 18.5 knots, Velazquez supports MacAndrews efforts to ensure schedule integrity on these services. This is a key factor in its ongoing efforts to attract temperature-controlled cargoes away from overland services to an oceanfreight alternative.
Comments Mark Copsey, Iberian Trade Manager for MacAndrews: “With fixed-day sailings, MacAndrews’ Spanish services offer a level of frequency and reliability which shippers can rely on as their supply chains come under increased time pressures.
“MacAndrews has been an ever present in this trade since the 18th Century with a track record for investment that is second-to-none.
“The addition of our largest ever ship is just the latest in a string of investments both in our operations at sea, as well as our customer support activities onshore.”
Late last year, MacAndrews launched a fixed-day (Tuesday) sailing to Bilbao from Liverpool to complement its long established Thursday service on the same route, bringing MacAndrews sailings out of the Seaforth Container Terminal to three a week – two to Spain and one to Portugal.
Adds Mr Copsey: “Our agency subsidiary in Spain has offices in Bilbao (and an operations office in Santurce), Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia and can trace its origins back to the multiple offices opened by Robert McAndrew & Co across Spain in the 19th century. Offering full door-to-door services, the agency prides itself on its high quality customer services.”
Velazquez is flagged in the UK and was built in 2003. The ship is 7520 Gross Tonnes has a nominal capacity of 822 teu, including 150 reefer plugs. She is 137.5 metres in length and 21.3 metres in breadth.
