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Portsmouth wins Colombia link

[ January 25, 2016   //   ]

Maersk Line has introduced a new weekly service from Colombia, South America to Portsmouth in the UK, primarily to carry containerised refrigerated bananas. The Hampshire port welcomed the Maersk Antwerp Trader – the first vessel on the new service and the largest cargo ship ever to call – on 20 January.

The vessel was handled by MMD, who unloaded the vessel on behalf of importer Fyffes; the ship then headed to Antwerp and Rotterdam. In the past reefer vessels carrying Fyffes bananas would have called at Antwerp first before Portsmouth.

The new service follows a £5 million pound investment by the city council-owned port including demolition of the Floating Dock Jetty to improve navigation, together with new handling equipment.

Port manager, Martin Putman, said: “This is an important milestone for Portsmouth International Port. Not only does it show how necessary recent investment has been, making the Port safer for bigger vessels, but it also demonstrates our ability to be flexible in a dynamic market, delivering the changes that our customers require.”

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