Maersk has changed its United Kingdom call on the ECUBEX South America reefer service (known as the Banana Boat) to Southampton’s DP World terminal, instead of Portsmouth International Port.
The main customer on this service is Fyffes which carries bananas from Ecuador and Colombia. 25tonnes of bananas are transported in one ‘reefer’ box.
Nick Loader, UK Chief Operating Officer, DP World, explained:
“The perishable and chilled goods industry relies on speed. DP World has the facilities including customs and food inspection posts as well as excellent inland connections to ensure we can deliver fast, high quality services levels for the UK’s supply chain. We are also able to provide shippers, like Fyffes, with increased visibility of their cargo”
DP World Southampton welcomed the first vessel on the service, the Maersk Brani, on Thursday 30th January 2020.
The size of vessel has also increased from 2,500TEU to 2,900TEU on this service. DP World has invested in additional reefer electrical connection points to accommodate the additional volumes, increasing its reefer sockets by 20%.
John Hopkins, General Manager Imports and Logistics, Fyffes said:
“The improved efficiency of the larger vessels supports our drive to reduce our environmental impacts.”
DP World Southampton is the UK’s only deep water port on the South Coast capable of servicing the largest container vessels in the world.
The new service route will be: Guayaquil – Manzanillo – Santa Marta – Southampton – Antwerp – Hamburg – Bremerhaven – Veracruz – Altamira – Puerto Moin – Manzanillo – Balboa
