"Increasingly more exports with refrigerated containers"

"Until a few years ago, the shipment of fruit and vegetables was carried out with reefer type refrigerated ships, but these have been increasingly replaced with refrigerated container ships," he explains. "Shipping companies now often demand container ships with a greater availability of spaces that can be connected to a source of electricity to be able to transport refrigerated containers."

Likewise, there is a rising number of warehouse companies, specialists in product ripening and other cold logistics services, and the terminals have more and more space. "For example, the port of Barcelona offers more than 2,000 reefer connections simultaneously at both container terminals," he adds.

According to Carles Mayol, the port of Barcelona is one of the main logistics centres of the Mediterranean and a leading port for fruit and vegetable importers around the world, mostly thanks to its infrastructure, which is ready to meet the great demand for distribution from the logistics sector and the supply chain, and to it being already connected to the main import and export markets. 

"We serve a large producing and consuming area, with rail connections and maritime terminals, in addition to services such as short sea shipping, which connects us with markets such as Italy and North Africa with reliable daily services. Basing ourselves on our infrastructure and service network, our goal is to improve the competitiveness of importing and exporting companies with a reliable and convenient service, providing added value," he assures.

Carles Mayol also perceives that export activities are on the rise, and Spanish exporters are looking for new markets in all corners of the world, although Europe has always been the main market for Spain's horticultural production.

"We are aware that many shipments in Europe are still carried out by lorries, except for the areas that we can connect with short distance transport services, which have allowed us to decongest the Spanish highways, reduce emissions and, in the case of the port of Barcelona, ​​to connect, among others, Mercabarna (the largest fruit and vegetable wholesale market in Spain) with Sardinia; a collaboration of which we are especially proud. Port de Barcelona has a long-standing relationship with Mercabarna, with whom it usually shares a stand at trade fairs such as Fruit Logistica and Fruit Attraction.

The port of Barcelona is currently facing several challenges, and this last year has been complicated for the entire supply chain due to the signing of new maritime alliances and the collapse of the Hanjin shipping company. Furthermore, it is worth remembering that, due to the weather conditions recorded a few months ago, the production in certain Spanish regions has been significantly smaller.

"We noticed an increase in prices and demand. At a logistic level, there were occasional variations in traffic going through the port for a few weeks, but in general, those changes were positive. Overall, the volume of fruit and vegetables shipped through the port is on the rise, as is the case with meat and frozen products."

In fact, in recent months, the port's exports and imports have increased significantly, mostly due to the economic recovery, the boost of port companies and the implementation of new rail transport initiatives for reefer containers with Barcelona's hinterland. In this sense, it is worth highlighting the launch, late last year, of Canal Frio; a rail service for controlled temperature products, connecting the Zaragoza Maritime Terminal (tmZ) with the Port of Barcelona.