A new service by global ports operator DP World from Morocco to the UK and northern Europe is expected to cut export times for fruit and vegetable shipments and offer an alternative to longer road routes.
The new Atlas service will connect Agadir and Casablanca in Morocco with DP World-owned ports and terminals, London Gateway and Antwerp Gateway, the Dubai Media Office said on Wednesday.
The service, set to begin in November, will use Unifeeder vessels and refrigerated containers ships - known as reefers, and is set to cut export time in the UK by up to two days, it said.
“Unlike road transport on the 3,000+km journey, the new shipping service avoids congestion, bouts of serious vandalism and delays at border crossings while offering a smoother passage for delicate produce such as tomatoes and blueberries, which are prone to damage on bumpy roads,” it said.
The service will also reduce carbon emissions compared to the traditional lorries on road routes.
“The key elements of this service – reliability, fast transit times and modern IT platform – will provide exporters and retailers with a viable alternative to the current transportation by truck and ensure improved quality produce at lower cost with a significantly reduced carbon emissions,” said Rashid Abdulla, managing director and chief executive at DP World Europe.
Vegetables and fruit and nuts key agricultural export categories from Morocco to the EU. The value of vegetable exports rose by 6.5 per cent last year, while fruit and nuts rose by 12.3 per cent, according to official data.
Morocco exports more than 6.5 million tonnes of fruit and vegetables a year to Western Europe, with volumes growing at over 20 per cent annually, the media office said.
Meanwhile, total UK imports from Morocco amounted to £2.7 billion ($3.6 billion) in the year to the end of March, marking an annual increase of 12.6 per cent in current prices, according to UK government data. Vegetables and fruit topped the list, accounting for nearly 35 per cent of all imports, with the amount rising by 21 per cent annually to £566.4 million during the same period.
DP World, which operates ports from Peru to Australia, said its container volumes increased 5.6 per cent on a like-for-like basis in the first half of this year, reaching 45.4 million TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units) across its global portfolio.
The growth was led by operations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, which rose 10.2 per cent annually to 16.9 million TEUs.
The company said it will offer a fleet of 1,000 1.2-metre-high cube and 750 six-metre dry containers for general cargo flows between northern Europe, the UK and Morocco.
“We are committed to building smarter, more sustainable and more resilient supply chains,” said Markus Rodatz, DP World's chief operating officer for freight in Europe.
“The new service gives growers and retailers the confidence that their produce will arrive fresher, faster and in peak condition, while cutting emissions by 70 per cent.”
