On Friday, September 16, the first conventional reefer ship carrying melons from Brazil arrived at Rotterdam Fruit Wharf's (RFW) fruit terminal in the Port of Rotterdam, reports the Dutch port.
RFW's fruit terminal is a waystation for fruit arriving at the Port of Rotterdam. European fruit importers use reefer containers or specialized reefer ships to import fresh fruit from the southern hemisphere. These ships can dock directly at RFW's wharves.
Bob van Bruggen, IJsbreker TV
Weekly service
In recent years, only 40 reefer containers have been used for the Brazilian melons. But this season, exporter Agricola Famosa has chosen to use a different modality. A weekly sailing has been set up with shipping company GreenSea. It uses specialized reefer vessels to ship melons from Fortaleza in Brazil to Vigo in Spain, Dover in England, and Rotterdam.
This weekly service to Rotterdam arrives at RFW, where immediately after the ship has been offloaded into one of the cold stores, phytosanitary inspection and customs formalities are done. The melons can then enter free circulation and be transported to their final destination in Europe. The great advantage is that the Fortaleza loading port is directly connected to the European destination ports, resulting in a speedy transit time. That benefits the melons' quality.
Bob van Bruggen, IJsbreker TV
Melon season
The Brazilian melon season begins as the European season comes to an end. During the summer, the Netherlands gets most of its melons from Spain. The Brazilian season runs from September through February, and RFW expects about 20 Greensea ship arrivals. That is quite impressive since only 40 reefer containers have been used in recent years.
Source: Port of Rotterdam