Freight News, Sea

Doing the heavy lifting in Barcelona

[ September 16, 2025   //   Chris Lewis ]

The JSI heavylift and project shipping alliance has opened an office in Bilbao to serve the Iberian market.

The branch, established in cooperation between Noatum Maritime Services and SAL Heavy Lift, will handle JSI Alliance’s entire fleet of multipurpose and heavylift ships. It will initially serve the Spanish, Portuguese, and North African markets, but plans to expand activities into Turkey and later the Middle East.

Chief executive of SAL Heavy Lift, Intermarine, and the Harren Group, Dr Martin Harren, said: “Having an outstanding team led by Josu Iturri in Bilbao, and working closely with Noatum Maritime Services, will play a key role in our future development. Our strong presence in North and South America will become even more closely connected with European ports, as many transatlantic routes pass through Iberia. In light of our planned fleet expansion, strengthening our activities in Spain is a logical step – and with Noatum Maritime Services, we have exactly the right partner at our side.”

The combined JSI Alliance fleet offers lifting capacities of up to 3,000 tonnesand will shortly commission the first of five Orca Class vessels, among the most efficient and modern heavy lift ships in the world.