Sealand , a subsidiary of Maersk and specialised in Intra-European logistics, is launching a new rail product from Spain to the UK especially designed for temperature-sensitive cargo like fruits and vegetables. The new transport option is tailored for fresh Spanish produce, has a flexible capacity and will initially have three weekly departures from Valencia terminal to Barking terminal in East London. The trains will also carry non-refrigerated cargo from the UK back to Spain on their southbound journey.
After successful trials in September with positive customer feedback, the regular departures will start end of October, just in time for the Spanish peak season for fruit and vegetable exports. Over 90% of these exports are going North resulting in up to 1,400 trucks daily crossing the northern Spanish border towards the main markets in UK, France, Benelux, Germany and Scandinavia.
“Our new product solves several challenges that our reefer customers in Spain are faced with when exporting: Firstly, many large retailers want to reduce the carbon footprint of the products they sell. Secondly, we have a prevailing shortage of truck drivers, which means that currently cross-border road transport is often limited and unreliable. Thirdly, capacity and quality of the major roads are limited which leads to congestion. Our rail transport makes Spanish exporters independent from the driver shortage as well as road bottlenecks, and offers more than 90% lower CO2 emissions than a truck on the road”, said Diego Perdones Montero, Area Managing Director France, Iberia and Maghreb.
More destinations could follow, including integrated ocean and rail solutions. Furthermore, Maersk is simplifying and optimising its customers’ supply chains with a comprehensive offer of additional logistics services.
Source: Maersk Group
