Port of Pecém ships 200 refrigerated containers of fruit weekly to Europe

The 2025/2026 fruit season is in full swing at the Port of Pecém, in Ceará, with export projections surpassing 200 refrigerated containers per week bound for Europe. Each 40-foot container, capable of carrying up to 27 tonnes, is loaded with fruits such as melons, watermelons, mangoes, and grapes produced in the states of Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Pernambuco, and Bahia.

The export campaign runs until February 2026, with weekly departures every Friday. The main destinations are the ports of Rotterdam (Netherlands) and London (United Kingdom), which together receive around 80% of the cargo, followed by Antwerp, Le Havre, Sines, Hamburg, and Bremerhaven.

At the start of the season, the vessel MSC Leila — 335 meters long, with a capacity of 11,500 TEUs and powered by Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) — marked the beginning of harvest operations when it docked at Pecém to carry the first major shipment of fruit to Northern Europe. The container ship is part of MSC’s NWC service, responsible for supplying supermarkets across Northern Europe.

“With operations like this, our clients can be sure that their production will continue reaching key markets efficiently, innovatively, and swiftly,” said Raul Viana, Port Business Manager at the Pecém Complex, noting that this is the ninth consecutive year of partnership with MSC for shipping melon crops from the Mossoró (RN) region and mango and grape harvests from the São Francisco Valley (PE and BA).

Brazil Melon, one of the exporters using the Pecém logistics corridor, maintains positive expectations for the rest of the campaign. “With Spain’s domestic supply now at lower levels, a great opportunity has opened up for Brazil to expand its exports,” explained Gabriel Vieira, the company’s Commercial Director. According to him, European buyers increasingly value quality, traceability, and sustainable practices — factors that favor Brazilian producers prepared to meet these standards.

See below a history of Brazilian fruit exports via the Port of Pecém starting in January 2022. The chart was prepared using DataLiner data:

Brazilian Fruit Exports via Port of Pecém | Jan 2022 to Sep 2025 | TEU

Source: DataLiner (Click here to request a demo)

Through the Port of Pecém, companies like Brazil Melon deliver their products to major European retailers such as LIDL, Tesco, and Edeka, bringing the flavor of northeastern Brazilian fruits to store shelves and dining tables across Europe.

Fruit Exports via Port of Pecém (2025/2026 Harvest)

Source: Supply Chain Magazine

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