Antwerp port expansion for reefer shipper

Seafrigo’s recently-launched joint venture with Antwerp Cold Stores, combined with its new LCL (Less-than-Container) reefer service between the Belgian city and New York in the USA, is proving so popular with customers that the logistics provider is now looking to further expand its operations and capacity in the port.

Antwerp is set to play an important role in the further development of the Seafrigo Group, which is headquartered at Le Havre in France. Demand in the USA for high quality Belgian products such as chocolate and biscuits has surged over the last 12 months and in order to support the further development of the trade lane the Seafrigo Group is now looking at taking on an additional warehouse in the Port of Antwerp with at least 25,000 pallet positions for temperature-controlled cargo.

As a result of the joint venture, which became effective in April this year, Seafrigo and Antwerp Cold Stores are already the leading player in Belgium for temperature-controlled perishable goods handling and storage. An expansion of the port facility will further enhance their combined market position.

Says Seafrigo Belgium’ Managing Director, Ben Van Wolput (pictured): “Food logistics really does require specialist knowledge and capabilities. Combine that with our commitment to the highest possible service standards and we believe it makes our service offerings really stand out. The US market for luxury Belgian foods is immense and relies on a global player such as Seafrigo with in-house expertise on both sides of the Atlantic to deliver the goods in perfect condition. These specialist products demand the expertise that our highly trained teams can deliver end-to-end and we are hugely optimistic about the ongoing demand for this service between Antwerp and New York”.

Seafrigo’s temperature-controlled warehouse at Port Elizabeth, New Jersey is the ideal entry point to the USA for the LCL service from Antwerp as, within its own hub, the company can handle deconsolidation and Customs formalities, and then deliver on its own dedicated refrigerated trucks, so maintaining the integrity of the cold chain right through to ultimate destination. “Seafrigo USA is proud to offer tailored services based on a large, scalable multi-temp warehouse network,” adds Van Wolput.

The addition of its own temperature-controlled handling capabilities at Antwerp has created a European hub within the Seafrigo network with a focus on growing Europe-US services. It can also now offer customers a growing number of new route options and destinations for their perishable exports, based on the port’s extensive worldwide sailings. Antwerp’s accessibility by road and rail to all the important industrial areas of Europe means Seafrigo customers located over a wide radius from the port can use it as a hub for their international traffic.