• 3 min de lectura
• 3 min de lectura
The Port of Bilbao is a European benchmark in the management of special and oversized cargo.
On September 16th and 17th, Bilbao will once again become, for the third consecutive year, the capital of the project cargo industry with the celebration of the Project Cargo Summit, the event that annually brings together professionals, logistics operators, shipping companies, ports, freight forwarders, and specialized companies from around the world to address the major challenges transforming the sector.
Under the motto "The Advantage of Change: Turning Volatility into Value", over two days, the challenges and opportunities facing project cargo, breakbulk, and heavy lift will be addressed, from geopolitical uncertainty and changes in trade policies to energy transition, fleet evolution, and the new needs of logistics chains. The event agenda includes a comprehensive program of conferences, debates, and informative presentations, as well as networking opportunities.
The summit will begin on Wednesday, September 16th, with a visit to Navacel's facilities in the Bilbao Estuary, where industry professionals will be able to learn firsthand about the industrial ecosystem of the Port of Bilbao and its role in supporting offshore wind and marine energy projects. During their tour, they will also be able to see how large offshore structures are manufactured, assembled, and transported through industrial operations that combine manufacturing, machining, and logistics at the pier.
On Thursday, September 17th, the meeting will move to the Hotel Carlton in Bilbao. The President of the Port Authority of Bilbao, Ivan Jimenez, will open the day by highlighting the role that Bilbao plays as one of Europe's leading centers for project cargo and breakbulk, especially demanding and strategic sectors that find in Bilbao a hinterland and a port community especially capable of offering multimodal solutions and managing oversized and heavy pieces, machinery, industrial and energy components, as well as complex door-to-door projects.
Subsequently, the sessions "Winning through geopolitical volatility"; "The energy transition: ambition meets reality"; and "The next wave of logistics innovation" will be held. The Director of Operations, Commercial, and Logistics of the Port Authority of Bilbao, Andima Ormaetxe, will participate in the latter, specifically in the debate "Agile port: specialized player or adaptable hub?".
Together with the Business Development Manager at Portsmouth International Port, Ian Palacio; the Business Development Manager at Port of Esbjerg, Tacy Jin; and the Senior Vice President at Apollo Global Experts Network, Albert Pegg, Ormaetxe will discuss the increasingly relevant role that ports are assuming as cargo flows become more complex and demanding, and will debate whether the optimal model is a highly specialized project cargo operator or a more versatile and adaptable logistics hub, weighing the advantages and disadvantages that each approach entails for ports and clients.
European Leader in Project Cargo
The recent operation carried out for the transport of the largest monopiles built in Southern Europe is a clear example of the capacity of the Port of Bilbao and its port community to handle, load, and transport cargo of any weight, size, and/or nature, consolidating Bilbao as a strategic enclave for the wind industry and the energy transition, as well as for the logistics of industrial components.
With a diameter of 11 meters, a length of more than 105 meters, and a weight of more than 2,300 tons, the monopiles manufactured at the Port of Bilbao's own facilities by Haizea Wind Group have been delivered to the Danish company Ørsted for installation in the world's largest offshore wind farm, located in the North Sea, which will have a capacity of 2.9 GW and will supply clean energy to more than 3.3 million homes.
