From the end 
of May until September – just in time for the peak citrus season – Hapag-Lloyd offers an additional service from South Africa:
Our "Citrus Connect" will help local growers reach markets in Europe and North America – a trade that has shown a significant growth.
The service will offer weekly departures from Durban and the Eastern Cape during the peak citrus season directly to our terminal in Tangier, to all destinations in North Europe, the Mediterranean, the East Coast of the United States, and Canada. 2,200 reefers are pre-positioned in South Africa. Our seasonal service provides growers and exporters with an average of 700 reefer plugs per sailing.
The Citrus Growers Association of Southern Africa (CGA) welcomes the new service as it will increase stability, flexibility, and competition in the shipping market. Justin Chadwick, CEO of the CGA: "The citrus industry and the broader economy need as much access to shipping as possible. In securing market access and more streamlined logistics, South Africa could very well increase its citrus exports with 20 million 15kg cartons of citrus in the coming season."
Orting Jorgensen, Thomas, Senior Director TM Africa: "The future prospects for South African citrus produce to the markets in Europe and North America show a significant growth. Well beyond what the southbound year-round based services can handle. We feel an obligation to support the growers in South Africa in their quest to compete and win in these markets. And we plan to further expand and enhance the product and our value adding services in the seasons to come. For this we aim to also go beyond the traditional markets to secure a sustainable growth and to cover less mature alternative markets such as the Far East, Middle East and India."
Busto Rogelio, Managing Director Area South Africa: "With our new offer, we provide the growers with sufficient capacity to both handle the expected growth of citrus - as we have heard, it is the CGA's goal to export an additional 100 million cartons by 2032. At the same time we help them to deal with the operational challenges. Our dedicated team of professionals is committed to timeliness and efficiency.
For more information: hapag-lloyd.com