MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company calls Port of Antwerp as first European port for reefer containers from Ecuador, Costa Rica & Peru. Seven container carriers will be making the crossing Moín - Antwerp directly.
New service
The seven MSC vessels load in Europe for Boston, Philadelphia, Charleston, Freeport (Bahamas), Balboa and Guayaquil. On the return trip there are calls in Puerto Bolivar, Guayaquil once more, Paita and Cristobal. Until recently, the ships from Cristobal (Ecuador) travelled to Rotterdam, but as of now they will also call weekly at Moín after Cristobal. Furthermore, Antwerp is now the first European port of call, before Rotterdam and Bremerhaven. The transit time between Moín and Antwerp is 12 days.
Reefer cargo
This MSC service concentrates heavily on fruit in containers, with panamax units offering up to 1,300 reefer plugs. For the call in Moín the emphasis on reefer cargo is even greater, as Costa Rica is the world's largest exporter of pineapples and the third-largest for bananas.
Source: portofantwerp.com