Tuesday 11th May, a very first shipment of 20 containers with grapes sailed from Damietta towards Koper. The grape season in Egypt has started and the season is not without its challenges. Tuesday 11th Maythe very first shipment of 20 containers with grapes sailed from Damietta towards Koper; a good symbolic kick-off for an expectedly very promising 2021 season. No one has the glass ball, but experts predict an increased volume of 10 0/0 versus previous year.
It is very interesting to underline how grapes are shipped by integrating transport modes. This requires coordination between the seaborne mode, the smooth relay (including paperwork) and the inland part, elaborating integrated door/door solutions. 3PLs in collaboration with ports, shipping lines and other cold chain players, construct through solutions from Egypt into Europe (mostly) and other countries worldwide. As a relevant Adriatic hub, the port of Koper plays a key role in this scenario. Koper is, in a sense, the "gateway for Egyptian grapes into Europe.
Koper port community monitoring together with its "trouble-shooting-function", will be even more important this year. In fact, the aforementioned Slovenian port, like any other one worldwide, has been severely challenged lately, given the global shortage of containers and the limited space availability on the ships. The schedule reliability has been improved rather recently, though all these issues are not well aligned with the higher seafreights that clients will be forced to pay. Anyhow, we all are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.
It is interesting to mention that Hapag Lloyd offers a service of 4 days transit time between Damietta and Koper. Luka Koper reports about its improved service level during the last months. Besides it, present season ZIM will start 21st of May an Alexandria to Koper direct and weekly service. Moreover this service will join others in the market (e.g. Sealand/2M).
Table grapes is one of the most important fruits produced in Egypt, second only to citrus in terms of production quantities. Grape cultivation is spread geographically from Alexandria in the north to Aswan in the south, which - combined with the production of early and late ripening grapes - enables the prolonged availability of fresh table grapes in the market from May to July (core part), though a few varieties stretch even to November.
For more information: 
Easyfresh Logistics S.L
Tel.: +34 963 218 021
Email: helpdesk@easyfresh-logistics.com