The Port of Liverpool is set to receive 30 per cent more shipments from the Iberian Peninsula.
The service, which is provided by operator MacAndrews, will call in at the port four times a week, arriving from Bilbao, Lisbon and Leixoes.
Shipments will include imports of fruit delivered direct from Spain and Portugal to the port’s new £6 million fresh produce terminal which has been operational since the end of 2009.
Stephen Carr, head of business development at the Port of Liverpool, said: “By offering four sailings per week, the Port of Liverpool is providing a real alternative to retailers and importers striving to serve northern and central UK in an environmentally friendly manner.”
By using water, it says up to 1,000 road miles can be eliminated from the journey, saving 2,000kgs of carbon per journey. Overall the service is expected to eliminate more than 60,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide over the course of the next 12 months.