Starting today (31 July) Oldenburg-Portugiesische Dampfschiffs-Rhederei (OPDR) is introducing new direct short-sea calls between Hamburg and Casablanca, as well as between Lisbon and Hamburg. In addition, there will be new direct links between Morocco and the Iberian Peninsula as well as between Portugal and Andalusia.

OPDR to start new direct calls

As a result the line will be the only short-sea carrier with a direct service from Lisbon to Hamburg. “This new link is particularly ideal for customers with perishable cargo and we have simultaneously increased our reefer capacity on this route,” said Simon Uhrlau, director line management.

The new Hamburg and Casablanca link will not only provide up to two weekly sailings but the integration of the Port of Casablanca into the OPDR CISS service provides new direct links to Spanish and Portuguese ports.

With short-sea shipping being seen as an alternative to road transport, the line has said that the new frequent services will boost the modal shift from road to sea. The company has also expanded its 45-foot pallet-wide high-cube container fleet in order to allow customers to load 33 euro pallets compared to trucks.