After more than 14 years handling Brazilian melons, the port of Dover will not be involved in 2003-04 as increasing fruit trade with West Africa and Central America as well as greater volumes of Brazilian melons mean it cannot provide the full service the South American trade requires.
While trade manager Per Mortensen at shipper Lauritzen Cool reports the fruit will be arriving in Sheerness, one industry source has told freshinfo that importers and exporters would prefer to use Portsmouth.
"Sheerness is too expensive and it cannot provide the service we require," said the source. "We need three temperature control regimes and it can only provide one. Once fruit is in cold store, the port will not allow us to inspect it, nor does it not give us the time and space we require to inspect fruit prior to that."
Paul Glock at Sheerness said that the first fruit from Brazil has already begun to arrive at the port and talks are continuing with the industry. "We are in discussions with a number of importers about the service we will provide and in negotiations with exporters about their requirements too. We are eager to match all the aspirations of the different people involved, shippers, receivers and shipping lines."
Mortensen and Glock both confirmed that the first dedicated melon vessel from Natal will sail this weekend and is due to arrive in Sheerness on September 2. Container shipments are already underway: a container of Brazilian melons was unloaded today from the vessel Elvira and further arrivals are expected on August 26.
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