PD Ports is proud to support Tees Maritime’s latest project, delivered with support from the MFC Foundation and Middlesbrough Council, which links famous players from the club’s history with countries that trade directly with our region by sea.
This weekend, fans heading to Middlesbrough FC’s Riverside Stadium for the game against Portsmouth will see international flags linked to club legends on lamp posts along the route, serving as a reminder that Teesside is connected to the world in more ways than many people realise.
Each flag also links to engaging school resources designed to help young people understand how international trade works and how much of it happens right here on their doorstep.
We chose to spotlight the Netherlands, represented by former Boro favourite and League Cup hero Bolo Zenden, because it’s one of our most important trading partners, with long-established container services from Teesport to and from Rotterdam three times a week.
Also, our chief executive is Dutch, so it had to be done!
Our second choice, Spain, represented by Gaizka Mendieta, is another key partner, with regular import routes supporting the construction, agriculture and manufacturing sectors across the Tees region and beyond.
More broadly, PD Ports has direct maritime trading links with most of the countries highlighted in the project – moving the everyday materials that keep the UK economy running. Some of the products imported and exported through our container terminal and bulks quays at Tees and Hartlepool each year include:
Netherlands – containers and unitised goods
Spain – gypsum and potash imports
Belgium – road trailers, vehicles and containers
France – containerised goods
Finland – container services
Portugal – containerised trade
Germany – short-sea container links
Poland – container traffic
Ghana – vehicles and project cargo
Senegal – vehicle exports
USA – specialist exports and energy-related cargo
PD Ports Chief Executive Frans Calje said: “As a proud adopted Teessider, I love initiatives like this. They bring to life the fact that Middlesbrough is a genuinely global place – with ships sailing to and from our river to countries all over the world.
“Ports are a vital part of the national economy – almost everything we buy in the shops, the fuel we fill our cars with and food we eat has come across a quay at some stage – but we’re a largely hidden industry.
“The millions of tonnes of cargo that moves in and out of the River Tees each year has a global impact and I hope projects like this can inspire young people to learn more about the industry on their doorstep.
“Tees Maritime has done a fantastic job creating resources that make international trade real, relevant and exciting for young people across our region, linking it to the star players we all know.”