Friopuerto Veracruz, the first temperature controlled facility located within Puerto Gulf of Mexico, will become operational in the second half of January 2015. In its first phase it will have more than 2,500 square meters covered and a storage capacity for 3,500 tons (22,000 cubic meters).
The Veracruz's Investor Group Veracruz (Griver), from Mexico, and the Romeu Group from Spain, have led this project as there was no cold storage facility like this one in the ports of the Gulf of Mexico. The ports of Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, Altamira Tuxpan lack it so far. Friopuerto Veracruz will be a pioneer in controlled temperature storage and logistics of perishable products. The project began to take shape three years ago.
85 million pesos (over 5 million Euro) have been invested in the project. Friopuerto Veracruz will have three cold storage chambers -a positive temperature room for fresh products, a negative temperature chamber for frozen products, and a third room with variable temperature- as well as a receiving and forwarding dock that will be air-conditioned and 7 spaces for cargo trucks or containers for cross docking operations. It will also serve as the first authorized Point of Verification and Animal Health Inspection for Imports (PVIZI) and as an approved first Point of Inspection on Plant Health (PIIMSV) for imports and exports.
A digital model of Friopuerto Veracruz, which will be opening in January
The infrastructure will be completed in December and then the cameras will be cooled. The facility is expected to have 30 daily operations and will be located within an area of 20,000 square meters at the Port of Veracruz that belongs to the Griver Group. Thus, there is enough room for the facility to grow in the second phase of the project, if it becomes necessary.
Currently, the Port of Veracruz only has a small refrigerated area able to perform sanitary inspections, but the merchandise must be returned in the ships' refrigerated containers until they leave the facility.
This generates additional costs for importers who must pay for the electricity to keep the unit refrigerated and must pay the delays that the shipping companies charge for having their containers halted.
The new facilities at Friopuerto Veracruz will allow importers and exporters to move larger volumes through the Port of Veracruz, which will also benefit the transport sector for there will be greater demand for refrigerated transport.