Vigo draws SH fruit shippers

The port of Vigo in northwestern Spain is to resume handling fruit cargo from January after a period of several years.

The port was once an important entry point for fruit arriving from the Southern Hemisphere but in recent years it has lost out to other Spanish ports including Algeciras and Málaga.

In October, Vigo Fresh Port opened a facility dedicated to handling imported fruit cargo arriving on containers that are loaded onto trucks for distribution throughout Spain and Portugal. The centre also hopes to attract fruit cargo from producers in Spain and northern Portugal who wish to export to northern Europe.

The facility has 1,000m² of coldstorage, 12 loading bays and 2,500m² of general warehousing space.

Juan Martínez said the port had already signed agreements with two shipping companies operating services from the Caribbean and South America, the main cargo being pineapples.

He added that a new fruit service from South Africa would be calling at the port next summer.