Spain’s Port of Huelva has announced the start of a new service between the southern Spanish city and Rotterdam, the Netherlands, dubbed ‘Huelva Express’, which will mark the first time a regular service has run between the two locations.
The new service, which is being coordinated by Mel-Shipping in the Netherlands and the recently-formed Logistical Platform of Huelvan Producers and Shippers, will run weekly between Rotterdam’s Fruit Terminal and Spain.
The Port of Huelva received its first container from Mel-Shipping last week and expects to transport 150 tonnes of fruit, drawn from Huelva, Cordoba, Extremadura and southern Portugal, when it makes its first shipment to Rotterdam.
The launch of the service follows the Port of Huelva’s announcement in March that it would invest €35m in the construction of a new fruit terminal to support fresh produce exports from the Andalusian province to international markets.
According to Huelva’s Port Authority, the proposed facility will cover 400m2 and will include a 750m pier, while provision is already being made for phytosanitary facilities that can be used by exporters.
