Portsmouth appears to have captured all the Del Monte trade from Central America as per earlier news item below.
Antwerp now appears to be the destination for all the Del Monte trade from West Africa as per Scotchie's post above, now carried exclusively on boxboats in reefer containers as opposed to on conventional reefer ships partly in the refrigerated holds on pallets and partly on deck in reefer containers.
This would seem to spell the end of the conventional reefer trade berthing at the Dover Cargo Terminal and discharging into the temperature controlled facilities owned by Hammonds which is very bad news.
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Portsmouth ports wins exclusive contract with Del Monte
Published Date: 18 November 2010
The man from Del Monte has said yes to Portsmouth - by agreeing to use it as its sole UK port.
Del Monte International GmbH has signed a three-year deal with MMD Ltd, which runs freight and cargo operations at Portsmouth's commercial Port.
New investment will see dredging work start in the new year to allow large ships to use Portsmouth at different states of the tide.
This, along with a new computer system and a reputation for being specialists in handling large quantities of fruit and vegetables, has led the multi-national firm to move its UK operation to Portsmouth.
The deal starts on January 1, 2011 and will help secure jobs at MMD.
Del Monte will primarily bring its UK bound crops of bananas and pineapples into Portsmouth.
It's expected 78,000 tons of fresh fruit will arrive every year from Costa Rica. The new contract will add an extra 10 per cent a year to the current volume of fruit being brought in through the Port.
Already 65 per cent of all bananas eaten in the UK are imported through Portsmouth.
MMD has developed a system to allow its clients to track products in real time as they move through the supply chain.
This, the port says, gives Portsmouth a significant advantage over others.
Port manager Martin Putman said: 'We're delighted that a global leader in the fresh fruit industry has decided to make Portsmouth its UK import base.
'All the staff at MMD work hard to offer great service and value to our international clients. Their dedication, and investment in new facilities, has made this important contract possible.'
http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/newshome/Portsmouth-ports-wins-exclusive-contract.6631024.jp
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This is a DHB press release from 2007:
New agreement heralds investment for Dover Cargo Terminal
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Dover Harbour Board and local company George Hammond PLC have signed an innovative agreement which paves the way for greater throughput of palletised fresh produce at the port's deep-sea cargo terminal.
The Harbour Board has leased the terminal to Hammond for a ten-year period and the cargo handlers are significantly increasing capacity with investment in a 50 per cent enlargement of the temperature controlled quayside storage facilities.
"We are delighted to be working in partnership with Hammond to take the business forward," said Richard Willcox, Director of Finance, Port of Dover. "The financial structure of the deal provides a major incentive for Hammond to grow fresh produce imports through the terminal.
"There are currently three weekly liner services calling at the terminal facility but the principal limiting factor has been the amount of temperature controlled storage. Hammond believes it can increase cargo volumes to back this investment."
Brian Madderson, Managing Director of George Hammond PLC, described the agreement as "ground-breaking" in port operations. He said: "The extension to the temperature controlled stores, due to open by Easter, will take capacity over 7,000 pallets with all chambers capable of operating from 0 to +15c."
In 2006 Dover Cargo Terminal received 158 ship visits carrying 230,000 pallets of cargo for the UK, mostly bananas which have to be stored in precise temperatures to retain quality. The volume represented a 30 per cent increase compared with 2005 and a further 35 per cent growth is now projected for 2007.
Dover Harbour Board will maintain responsibility for crane operations and in 2006 invested over £2 million in two high-capacity mobile harbour cranes which have been returning record levels of productivity. These cranes have enabled Hammond to achieve over 7,000 container movements last year in addition to taking discharge rates up to 200 pallets per gang per hour.
Source: Dover Harbour Board Press Release, 21st March 2007
