Leixões ticks all the right boxes

In north Portugal, Leixões, which can now receive panamax-size vessels, thanks to a major dredging programme, has celebrated a 14% first half hike in traffic, during which it handled 209,571 teu. A lot of this is being displaced from Vigo, where a major capacity shortage is killing growth.

Termavi, the incumbent box operator, has done all the right things. In addition to persuading the port authority to grant it use of adjacent under-utilised operating areas, it has also brought in more quayside and yard lift. This was sufficient to woo back previous customer Maersk, although two services operated by one of Termavi’s shipping line owners had to be diverted to nearby Vilagarcía port in order to create the necessary space.

The port authority wants to build a second box terminal in the Bouzas area to create extra capacity, but this is opposed by car maker Peugeot-Citroen, which says it wants all of this part of the port to accommodate expanding new vehicles traffic of its own. Negotiations to solve the impasse are not expected to be easy.