New company Rotterdam Fruit Wharf has emerged with the backing of parent company SEA-invest to pick up where the bankrupt firm Seabrex left off.

On Thursday, an NYKCool vessel called the Ivory Dawn and loaded with Argentine citrus became the first ship to be discharged by Rotterdam Fruit Wharf, a new company established by Belgian logistics group SEA-invest to steer the remnants of reefer terminal handler Seabrex away from bankruptcy.

Following last week’s announcement that the Port of Rotterdam’s largest handling, freight forwarding and distribution company for perishable products had gone into liquidation, SEA-invest’s Johan Claes confirmed that Seabrex’s administrator had accepted a plan proposed by the Belgian group to take over the company’s activities and establish a new reefer terminal operation instead. SEA-invest, whose subsidiary Belgian New Fruit Wharf (BNFW) acquired Seabrex last summer, has operations at the Port of Hamburg in Germany and the Belgian ports of Antwerp and Zeebrugge.

As part of the new arrangements, SEA-invest has also earmarked €12.5m to purchase all of the warehouses and port-side equipment previously leased by Seabrex.

The company’s Fruit Terminal Rotterdam centre is set to be closed and two-thirds of its staff laid off, although Claes pointed out that the services of the current Seabrex board - including managing director Herman de Knijf and commercial manager Peter van der Laar - will be retained.

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