A key port is to get a new freight shipping link to Finland, Belgium and Spain.

The Finnlines freight company has announced it will start the new service into Sheerness later this month.

Three Finneco-class vessels will operate the weekly service between the London Medway Port and Finland, with onward connections to Belgium and Spain.

The first arrival will take place on Monday, September 23.

The company said the new connection would offer customers shorter transit times and increased cargo capacity.

Finnlines said it had chosen the London Medway port on the Isle of Sheppey, because of its short sea connection to the Continent; its well-developed infrastructure and its proximity to London.

The roll-on, roll-off (ro-ro) ships it will use each has the capacity to take around 400 trailers and will be able to take cargo up to a height of seven metres.

To reduce emissions, the vessels are equipped with many advanced technologies such as air lubrication, a high-powered battery bank and solar panels.

Finnlines’ commercial director Merja Kallio-Mannila said: ”Finnlines continues to strengthen its services by increasing cargo capacity for the UK.

“The launch of our new service from Sheerness secures an important trade route between England and the continent.”

London Medway port is managed by the Peel Ports Group.

Peel Ports director Richard Goffin said: “Location is everything and as a port, London Medway’s proximity to the nation’s capital and distribution networks means it is perfectly placed to connect importers and exporters with their markets.”

It will place the port as a key interchange

“We expect this new service will be popular with both established and emerging markets, which are seeing strong growth in the South-East of the UK, and in particular forest products which are in high demand.

“London Medway handles a vast array of cargo including automotive, steel and ro-ro, so we expect a wide variety of commodities to be transported on Finnlines’ versatile fleet.

“It will place the port as a key interchange between Scandinavia and the Iberian markets.”

The new routes will connect Helsinki and Kotka in Finland, to Bilbao and Vigo in Spain, via Sheerness and either Antwerp or Zeebrügge in Belgium.

Finnlines is part of the Grimaldi Group, one of the world’s largest operators of ro-ro vessels.