E. Erhardt y Cía. feted as the founding partner of the Association of Ship Agents and Stevedores of the Port of Bilbao (ACBE)

Exactly 100 years ago today, on 31 January back in 1922, the founding deed of the Association of Ship Agents and Stevedores of the Port of Bilbao (ACBE) was signed. Thirty-eight companies met in the Chamber of Commerce the Bilbao Association of Ship Agents, as it was then known.

On Friday 28 January, a reception was held at Bilbao City Hall and hosted by Mayor Juan María Aburto, who paid tribute to the Association and to the three founding companies that are still actively involved in ACBE: Bergé y Cía, MacAndrews y Cía (currently, Containerships CMA CGM) and E. Erhardt y Cía.

Our Chairman, Eugenio Erhardt, collected from the mayor a copy of the founding deed of the Association. He was accompanied by Eugenio Erhardt Barrenechea, Alberto Uriarte, Ronald Twigt and Juan Correa (who chaired ACBE between 2008 and 2016).

The mayor praised the feted companies and explained that "these three companies are clearly the jewel in the crown of ACBE". He pointed out that "ever since the ships of MacAndrews, nicknamed the ‘macandrios’, brought that British influence to Bilbao that is so characteristic of our city, the surnames Bergé and Erhardt are deeply rooted in our society. Their influence can be seen in much of the business and institutional fabric of this long century of the history of Bilbao".

A hundred years of loyalty and the city where we are from and where we are proud to remain. A century later, we continued to be committed to and strive for the economic development and the progress of our environment.