New connections to Spain and Italy are operational in the Port of Pecém

Since Monday (09/23), the Port of Pecém has had a direct connection to the Port of Valencia, Spain. This is because the operation of the new Mediterranean line of MSC (Mediterranean Shipping Company) began.

An unprecedented welcome operation was prepared by tugboats from Wilson Sons to receive the MSC Antigua vessel. Water jets were thrown during its arrival at the Port of Pecém multipurpose terminal.

“A day of celebration, as we are very happy to bring this new route to attract more cargo to the Port of Pecém. And thus stimulating the market in the fruit segment,” said Daniel Soares, MSC Fortaleza branch manager.

The new route comes to supply the growing demand of fruit growers who export part of their production to countries in Europe. Mainly melon, produced in Ceará and Rio Grande do Norte; and mango and grape, produced in the São Francisco River Valley. The container shipment was carried out by the operator APM Terminals and lasted approximately five hours.

“We are constantly participating in large operations and growing with all this demand here in the Port of Pecém, so accommodating a ship of this size is an honor for us,” said André Magalhães, commercial manager of APM Terminals.

The vessel MSC Antigua is 299.18 meters long, can hold up to 8,886 containers, and each refrigerated container can hold up to 25 tons of fruits.

“This is a very good service, especially for Brazilian exports. So it is a pleasure for our team to operate here, where I can see that there is a high-level professional team working in a safe and modern port,” said Fedir Sukhobrus, commander of the MSC Antigua ship.

The new shipping line for Mediterranean ports will go through the following route:

– Valencia (9 days);
– Barcelona (11 days);
– Genova (13 days);
– Livorno (15 days);
– Gioia Tauro (16 days).

The ship’s captain and the MSC Fortaleza branch manager were honored with commemorative plaques specially prepared by the Pecém Industrial and Port Complex.

“It is a ship that leaves Pecém with fruits produced in Ceará and other states in northeastern Brazil, heading for ports in Spain and Italy. This opens up more space for our fruits and our fruit growers can generate more jobs and income,” said Danilo Serpa, president of Pecém Industrial and Port Complex.

In the 2018/2019 season alone, two thousand fresh fruit containers were transported by MSC from the Port of Pecém. In addition to the new line for the Mediterranean, shipping lines to the United States and Northern Europe are in regular operation. The export of the 2019/2020 fruit crop continues until February next year.

The following chart, made from DataLiner data, shows fruit exports by the Port of Pecém from January 2015 to July 2019:

Source: DataLiner/Datamar

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