Fresh produce is set to return to the Port of Liverpool this week following a hiatus lasting some three decades after it was confirmed that the city is to be included in a new feeder service from the Port of Rotterdam.
The merchant vessel Gerd, which is being deployed by X-Press Container Line on its new fixed-day, weekly ISX service, is due to depart Rotterdam on Tuesday, calling at Liverpool's Royal Seaforth Container Terminal on Thursday before heading for Dublin on Friday.
Fruitnet.com understands that the feeder service could carry fresh produce, thanks to a new strategic partnership signed this week by Rotterdam-based fresh produce terminal operator Seabrex and Go-Associates, which operates the recently completed 5,000-pallet Liverpool Produce Terminal (LPT).
Speaking on Friday afternoon, LPT operations director Andy Rickard said the new feeder service represented only the start of Liverpool's re-emergence as a major destination for fresh produce into the the UK.
'Liverpool is a northern gateway and the new feeder service will enable suppliers and exporters to reach what is a sizeable northern UK market at a highly competitive rate and with a far smaller environmental impact than if that produce were shipped by road,' he said.
The new service, which will be the only direct feeder connection between the Rotterdam and Liverpool, could be the first in a number of services to begin calling at the port, including direct sailings from Mediterranean export countries like Spain and Egypt as well as Southern Hemisphere suppliers South Africa and Chile.
According to X-Press Container Line trade manager Paul-James Sawyer, the announcement further proves the shipping company's commitment to the west coast UK market.
'The new service will offer a new and unique direct entry point into this important area,' said Mr Sawyer. 'This new routing will serve to further enhance our network and the options available to main line operators and shippers alike.'
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